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.

FMI: www.gulfstream.com