7000 On Hand To Greet Gulfstreams' Newest Jet
Gulfstream Aerospace rolled out its new flagship business jet,
the all-new Gulfstream G650, at company headquarters in Savannah on
Tuesday. The aircraft rolled out under its own power. First
announced in March 2008, the ultra-large-cabin, ultra-long-range
G650 remains on schedule for customer deliveries in 2012.
Approximately 7,000 people gathered at the new G650
manufacturing building for the aircraft’s debut. The audience
included state and local dignitaries, customers, certifying
authorities, supplier representatives, members of the G650
development team and many other employees at the Savannah
facility.
“We’ve all been looking forward to this day since we
officially announced the G650 program last year,” said Joe
Lombardo, executive vice president, General Dynamics Aerospace
group. “Simply put, the Gulfstream G650 is in a class by
itself. I want to thank everyone who made this aircraft possible. I
share the tremendous amount of pride you have for this significant
piece of aviation history. Like you, I am eagerly awaiting the
first flight later this year.”
The G650 offers the longest range, fastest speed, largest cabin
and the most advanced cockpit in the Gulfstream fleet. It features
an all-new fuselage cross section, the first from Gulfstream since
the G2, allowing a wider and taller cabin than the previous
top-of-the-line G550 model. The G650 is capable of traveling 7,000
nautical miles at 0.85 Mach and has a maximum operating speed of
0.925, which will make it the fastest civil aircraft flying. It can
climb to an altitude of 51,000 feet, which allows it to avoid
traffic and inclement weather.
“Our customers had an instrumental role in the design of
the G650,” said Pres Henne, senior vice president, Programs,
Engineering and Test, Gulfstream. “The G650 will set new
levels of performance in aircraft capability, cabin environment and
maintainability. Customer input was used to guide fuselage size
selection as well as aircraft performance characteristics. The G650
offers unprecedented speed and range, superb takeoff performance,
an all-new Gulfstream wing, best-in-class Rolls-Royce BR725
engines, and top-of-the-line aesthetics. It provides the most
technologically advanced flight deck in business aviation with the
PlaneView II cockpit and an advanced aircraft health and trend
monitoring system to support aircraft maintenance planning and
improve availability."
“Along with traditional measures of aircraft performance,
significant effort has been spent in ensuring the cabin will be in
a class by itself. The Gulfstream Cabin Essential systems include
redundant fiber optic and wireless technologies, along with the
latest innovations in lighting, seating, acoustics and cabin
systems to provide the most productive cabin environment in
business aviation. Three-dimensional electronic design tools were
used to design the entire aircraft, facilitating remarkable part
precision, allowing ease of assembly and proper placement of
components for ease of maintenance and shorter downtimes. The
up-front, detailed engineering effort and its end result are a real
tribute to the engineering and manufacturing teams.”
Among those attending the ceremonies was Congressman Jack
Kingston (R), whose district includes the Gulfstream manufacturing
facility in Savannah. Kingston talked about the jobs associated
with the manufacture of the Gulfstream line, and the corporate
citizenship exhibited by the company. "There may be some members of
congress who had their doubts about corporate jet travel," he told
the crowd. "I am not one of them."
The G650 features a cabin that measures 102 inches wide and 77
inches high, the largest purpose-built cabin in business aviation.
The extra space allows for larger galleys and lavatories, and
increased storage. The aircraft, which seats 11-18 passengers, also
features 16 windows that measure 28 by 20.5 inches, the largest in
the industry; improved sound levels; a vacuum toilet system; and
in-flight access to 195 cubic feet of usable volume in the baggage
compartment.
Gulfstream announced the G650 on March 13, 2008, in Savannah. The
aircraft is on schedule for first flight later this year and is
expected to be certified in 2011. Entry-into-service is planned for
2012.