G650 Production Is Increasing As Accident Investigation Continues

Gulfstream's G250 is on schedule for certification later this year, the company says, having recently completed several tests required for it to receive its type certificate from the FAA, the Civil Aviation Authority of Israel and the EASA. The three flight-test aircraft have accumulated more than 1,150 flight hours over more than 400 flights.

"We are on track and steadily moving toward certification this year," said Mark Kohler, director, G250 program. "The aircraft is performing exceptionally well."
 
Aircraft Number 2002, the second of three aircraft in the flight-test program, successfully completed water ingestion testing in late March in the United Kingdom. As required by Federal Aviation Regulations, the tests confirmed that the aircraft's two Honeywell HTF7250G engines, its auxiliary power unit and its airspeed system will continue to operate normally even after traveling through standing water.

The tests were conducted along a 5,902-foot runway during all critical phases of takeoff, landing and taxi. The G250 performed nine successful runs. 

The third flight-test aircraft, Serial Number 2003, completed the first phase of human factors testing at the company's headquarters in Savannah last month. The testing included avionics performance and flight-deck ergonomics. Each six-member crew flew three flights: a day Visual Meteorological Conditions (VMC) flight, a day Instrument Meteorological Conditions (IMC) flight and a night VMC flight.

During human factors testing, each of the two-hour flights begins as a normal flight. Human factors engineers then introduce scenarios that force the crew to perform other tasks, including potential abnormal and emergency procedures. At the end of each flight, the crew completes a questionnaire, and the responses are used to create a report for certification.

The second phase of human factors workload testing will include representatives from each of the certification authorities. Results from both phases will be submitted to the certification authorities for certification credit.

To receive its type certificate, the G250 must finish the remaining aircraft systems and field performance tests as well as a portion of the more than 40,000 airframe fatigue cycles, which are already under way at Israel Aerospace Industries. The aircraft have completed static structural, limit/ultimate load, natural icing, far-field noise and high-field elevation tests.

Back in Savannah, Gulfstream has begun manufacturing the 13th Gulfstream G650 aircraft, as all production, engineering and ground-test activities for the aircraft continue on pace, according to company officials. The company is working closely with the FAA to resume the flight-test activities required as part of the aircraft's type certification.

As manufacturing continues, so, too, do other program activities. The G650 fatigue test article (F6) is now in the structural test hangar, where it will spend the next three years "flying" the equivalent of two and a half life cycles to verify the airframe's structural durability. Encased in a web of steel tubes, wires, jacks and actuators, the airframe will experience conditions similar to those encountered during 100,000 flying hours over 42,500 flights. A single life cycle is considered 40,000 hours and 17,000 landings. 

The G650 flight-test aircraft have accumulated some 1,500 flight hours in an estimated 2,200-hour certification program. The aircraft have already completed a number of test points, including airspeed calibration, flutter, power plant and auxiliary power unit operations, flyover noise and water ingestion. Gulfstream voluntarily suspended G650 flight testing April 2, following an accident involving the second flight-test aircraft, Serial Number 6002. The accident is under investigation by the NTSB. Gulfstream is fully cooperating in that investigation.

Preparations for the G650's 2012 entry into service are also on track. The simulator that will be used to train and certify G650 pilots has been delivered to FlightSafety in Savannah. The full-motion simulator is expected to receive Level D certification from the FAA in 2012. Training time for pilot certification will vary from 13 to 24 days, depending on the pilot's level of experience with other Gulfstream aircraft.

FMI: www.gulfstream.com