Gulfstream gets the double as G650 passes certification milestone
Gulfstream is celebrating its second certification success in a week as its flagship ultra-large-cabin, ultra-long-range Gulfstream G650 business-jet received its type certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Friday.
This follows the certification of the super midsize G280 last week.
The certification makes way for Gulfstream to deliver the first fully outfitted G650 jets to customers before year-end. The company said it has received more than 200 orders for the aircraft.
“The G650 is a superlative aircraft with the most technologically advanced flight deck in business aviation and the largest, most comfortable cabin in its class. In short, the G650 speaks to all that is good about business aviation: safety, security, flexibility, comfort, and capability,” said Larry Flynn, president, Gulfstream. “We designed the G650 with significant input from our Advanced Technology Customer Advisory Team, and we’re extremely proud of what our entire organization has accomplished with this aircraft.”
“The G650 sets the new world standard for business-jet performance, range, speed and comfort,” said Jay L. Johnson, chairman and chief executive officer of Gulfstream’s parent corporation, General Dynamics. “The Gulfstream team has done an outstanding job in designing and manufacturing what is already the envy of the global market and is sure to become a milestone aircraft in aviation history.”
The aircraft offers a full three-axis, fly-by-wire system that delivers a number of benefits, including flight-envelope protection, passenger comfort, increased redundancy and reduced maintenance. The system is the result of extensive testing, leading to a redundant fly-by-wire system that exceeds certification requirements. It has a separate and dedicated backup flight-control computer that provides an additional level of safety.
The G650’s comfortable and productive cabin environment is the result of a cabin altitude of 4,850 feet at FL510 and 3,300 feet at FL410, which reduces fatigue, increases mental alertness and enhances productivity.
Gulfstream announced the G650 on March 13, 2008, five years after it began designing the business jet. And it rolled out under its own power on Sept. 30, 2009, and flew for the first time nearly two months later, on Nov. 25, 2009.
The G650 demonstrated its exceptional high-speed, fuel-efficient cruising capabilities on May 2, 2010, when it flew at its maximum operating Mach number of 0.925 for the first time. It achieved high-speed cruise on October 2010, when a test aircraft flew a 5,000-nautical-mile (9,260 km) closed circuit at Mach 0.90 over the Atlantic Ocean in 9 hours and 45 minutes.
In February 2011, the G650 flew from Burbank to Savannah, a distance of more than 1,900 miles (3,545 km), in just 3 hours and 26 minutes. The aircraft accomplished the mission at speeds between Mach 0.91 and 0.92 with a brief segment at the aircraft’s maximum operating Mach number of 0.925. The trip set a city-pair speed record and was named a most memorable flight for speed over a recognized course by the National Aeronautic Association.
The aircraft received its provisional type certificate from the FAA on Nov. 18, 2011
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