Story ID: 
Adam A700 Begins FAA Flight-test Trials
By: Chad Trautvetter
Caption: Adam Aircraft’s $2.25 million A700 very light jet took a step closer to FAA certification on Friday when the agency issued Type Inspection Authorization (T
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Adam Aircraft’s $2.25 million A700 very light jet took a step closer to FAA certification on Friday when the agency issued Type Inspection Authorization (TIA) for the Williams FJ33-powered airplane. The TIA allows the A700 program to enter the phase where FAA representatives are authorized to begin flight testing the twinjet for certification credit. FAA certification is planned for the second half of next year. Four conforming A700s will participate in the flight-test trials–S/Ns 003 and 004 are already online, and S/Ns 005 and 006 are expected to join the fleet in the first half of next year. S/N 002, a nonconforming A700, is also helping with certification tests on a limited basis. So far, the test fleet has logged more than 900 hours of development flying. Meanwhile, Adam Aircraft this week started environmental testing at the McKinley Climatic Chamber at Eglin AFB in the Florida panhandle, where the composite airplane is being subjected to extreme temperatures and severe weather conditions, including hot and cold weather, freezing rain and blowing snow.