G650 Moving Closer To Anticipated Certification Later This
Year
Gulfstream announced Sunday at the NBAA Convention in Las Vegas
that the final performance specifications for the Gulfstream G280
will exceed the capabilities originally announced at the
program’s public launch in 2008. Following extensive flight
testing, Gulfstream has demonstrated that the G280 flies 3,600 nm
with four passengers at Mach 0.80 with NBAA IFR reserves.
“Demonstrating a 200-nautical-mile increase in range is
testimony to both the excellent aerodynamic characteristics of the
aircraft and the fuel efficiency of the Honeywell HTF7250G
propulsion system,” said Pres Henne, senior vice president,
Programs, Engineering and Test, Gulfstream. With its
increased range, the G280 can fly nonstop from London to New York
or Singapore to Dubai. With just one stop, the G280 can link Las
Vegas and London or Las Vegas and Tokyo.
“At certification, the G280 will lead its category in
every significant aspect of performance and comfort,” said
Larry Flynn, president, Gulfstream. “It offers the largest
cabin, flies farther and uses less runway. In fact, it flies
farther, faster and uses less fuel than the G200 it
replaces.”
In addition to more range, the aircraft offers a shorter
balanced field length. Its balanced field length has been reduced
from 4,960 feet to 4,750 feet. This field length is an improvement
of more than 1,300 feet compared to the G200 it replaces.
Gulfstream announced the G280 on October 5, 2008, at the NBAA
Meeting & Convention in Orlando, FL. The aircraft is powered by
twin Honeywell HTF7250G engines, each of which provides 7,445
pounds of thrust. These fuel-efficient engines feature reduced
emissions, longer maintenance intervals and decreased noise levels.
They also offer excellent climb performance, propelling the G280 to
FL410 in less than 20 minutes.
The G280 is conducting the final activities required to receive
its type certificate from the FAA, EASA and the Civil Aviation
Authority of Israel. Already, the three aircraft in the flight-test
program have accumulated more than 1,690 hours of flight time over
more than 628 flights.
At the same time, the G650 has moved several steps closer to its
anticipated certification later this year after completing tests of
its fly-by-wire system, engine inlet compatibility and operation in
hot weather, among other tests. As of October 5, the four aircraft
in the flight-test program had accumulated more than 2,077 hours on
more than 626 flights.
“On September 15, we had five G650 aircraft in the air at
once,” said Pres Henne, senior vice president, Programs,
Engineering and Test, Gulfstream. “Four of the aircraft were
conducting flight-test activities, while the fifth aircraft
completed a post-production test flight. The level of flight
activity speaks to the maturity of the product at this point in the
flight-test program. We are moving at a prudent pace toward our
certification objective later this year. We are pleased by
everything we see.”
Gulfstream has now flown four production aircraft in preparation
for induction into final-phase manufacturing, where the aircraft
are outfitted and painted. Fourteen aircraft are in the production
process.
On the flight-test side, Aircraft Number 6005 completed
certification ground tests for engine inlet compatibility,
conducted for the first time by Gulfstream at the Eglin Air Force
Base test facility in Florida. The aircraft utilized Eglin’s
fan array to accurately provide the high-wind ground testing.
Additionally, the aircraft completed certification ground tests for
electromagnetic interference. Following ground testing, the
aircraft successfully completed in-flight certification testing in
both areas: engine inlet compatibility and electromagnetic
interference.
Aircraft Number 6004, the first Gulfstream test aircraft to have
a fully outfitted interior, has conducted in-flight tests on the
functionality of the G650’s next-generation flight management
system, a fundamental part of the avionics, as well as completing
extensive cabin system tests and interior acoustic noise
surveys.
The company completed the FAA's certification tests for
hot-weather operations using Aircraft Number 6003, thereby
demonstrating the capability to properly cool all of the avionics
and electrical equipment under the most extreme conditions.