Business Jet Dashes 25-Year Record Set By Gulfstream GIV

The Gulfstream G650 demonstration aircraft landed at Paris-Le Bourget Airport for the 50th annual Paris Air Show with three new city-pair records on its résumé: Savannah to Paris; Nice, France, to São Paulo; and Las Vegas to Madrid, Spain. The records are pending confirmation by the National Aeronautic Association (NAA).

The most significant record was a 3,899-nautical mile sprint between Savannah and Paris that broke a record held for 25 years by the Gulfstream GIV. The G650, with three crew members and five passengers on board, accomplished the flight from Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport to Paris-Le Bourget in 7 hours and 12 minutes, shaving more than an hour off the GIV's time of 8 hours and 16 minutes. The aircraft flew at an average speed of Mach 0.90.

"This record demonstrates the G650's tremendous speed and range," said Scott Neal, senior vice president, Sales and Marketing, Gulfstream. "It also speaks to the capabilities of the GIV, which handily held that record for a quarter of a century, evidence that the aircraft was ahead of its time in terms of technology, innovation, speed and range."

The Savannah-Paris record follows two others pending confirmation with the NAA. The ultra-large-cabin, ultra-long-range G650 took off from the Cote d'Azur Airport in Nice at 11:21 a.m. local time on May 26 with three passengers and four crew members on board. Its average speed for the 5,527-nm trip was Mach 0.90, with cruising altitudes reaching as high as 47,000 feet. The aircraft landed in São Paulo at 5:31 p.m. local time for a total flight time of 11 hours and 10 minutes.

"This record highlights a very important city pair for our customers in South America who regularly travel to Europe," Neal said. "Our customers have been excited to learn of the dramatic time savings that the G650, flying at Mach 0.90 between the two continents, will provide for them."

Three weeks earlier, the aircraft accomplished a similar feat between Las Vegas and Madrid, making the 4,940-nm journey in 9 hours and 14 minutes. The aircraft left McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas at 11:16 p.m. local time on May 8. It arrived at Madrid-Barajas Airport in Spain at 5:30 p.m. local time the next day, averaging Mach 0.90. "Each of the records was extraordinary in its own right and shows our customers that the G650 is a superlative aircraft that will help them achieve more, regardless of the mission," Neal said.

The G650 demonstrator, which entered service in January 2013, has visited 75 cities in 27 countries as of May 31. It has flown 334 hours, covering more than 142,900 nm.

(Image provided by Gulfstream)

FMI: www.gulfstream.com