Page 63 - Aviation News - September 2017

The spacious and luxurious cabin of a G650. Photo courtesy of Gulfstream Aerospace Corp.
customers could opt for the G650ER with a
7,500nm (13,890km) range – 500nm (926km) of the G650 and they both have wider cabins in 2016 when the fourth test aircraft (N504GS
more than the standard version. than the G450 and G550, although not quite c/n 72004) was own in from the Savannah
The G650 marked a change in as large as the G650. The cabin has the factory in just under seven hours.
manufacturing techniques and included the larger windows used on the G650 and has With the G500 test programme well under
chemical bonding of airframe components to been completely redesigned with updated way, the G600 prototype (N600G, c/n 73001)
reduce the volume of conventional riveting. seating and a new infotainment system. took to the air on December 17, 2016 and
The prototype G650 (N650GA, c/n 6001) In a move away from Rolls-Royce, the there are now four G600s ying towards rst
made its rst ight on November 25, 2009 G500, which has an NBAA IFR range of customer deliveries in the fourth quarter of
and the G650 (known as the GVI for FAA 5,000nm (9,260km), is powered by 15,144lb/ 2018. The G600 has a 4ft (1.22m) longer
purposes) gained its type certi cate on st Pratt & Whitney Canada PW814GA cabin than the G500 and has greater range at
September 7, 2012. turbofans and the G600 has higher rated 6,200nm (11,482km), at Mach 0.85 carrying
The model proved successful with 15,680lb/st PW815GA engines. eight passengers and four crew – although
customers and more than 250 have been The new jets have completely redesigned it can be con gured for up to 19 passengers
built to date. A number have been bought for ight decks with active control side sticks and crew. The cabin can be arranged in four
charter operations, such as by Korean Air and similar to those designed for the F-35 ghter separate areas and has a large restroom and
Qatar Executive. Other customers include by BAE Systems, y-by-wire systems and the option of a galley at the front or rear of
the Azerbaijan Government, corporate users ten touchscreen Gulfstream Symmetry Flight the cabin. Its top speed is Mach 0.925 and
such as JC Bamford Excavators, avionics and Deck control panels. This incorporates it cruises at 51,000ft (15,545m) – well above
engine giant Honeywell and the watchmaker synthetic vision and the EVS system airline traffic.
Patek Philippe. accessed by the pilot through a HUD (head- As Gulfstream Aerospace moves towards
Having established the G650, Gulfstream up display). The G500 prototype (N500GA, 2018 and 2019 it remains at the forefront of
turned its attention to a new aircraft family. c/n 72001) made its maiden ight on May 18, business aviation. It continues to sell the
Two new models were designed and are now 2015 and three other development aircraft as G280 super-midsize jet, the airframe of which
under development: the G500 (which has no well as one fully out tted production aircraft is built in Israel by IAI and tted out in the
relationship to the earlier model with the same are under test with a target of the end of 2017 US, and will have a line-up of the fast, long-
name) and a stretched version, the G600. for certi cation (as the GVII). The European range, large cabin G500, G550, G600 and
Their fuselage design followed the philosophy debut for the G500 was made at Farnborough G650/650ER.
Prototype G600, N600G, takes off on the type’s maiden ight on December 17 last year. Photo courtesy of Gulfstream Aerospace Corp.

www.aviation-news.co.uk 63

58-63_gulfstreamDC.mfDC.mfDC.indd 63 04/08/2017 14:16