The Federal Aviation Administration has certificated Gulfstream’s ultra-long-range, large-cabin G700 business jet, a milestone coming after the aircraft’s approval had been held up for several years amid heightened FAA scrutiny stemming from the Boeing 737 Max crisis.
Savannah-based Gulfstream disclosed the news on 29 March, saying the FAA issued the certificate the same day. Gulfstream has not said when it expects to deliver the first G700.
“Gulfstream is currently conducting pre-delivery activities and we anticipate those deliveries to begin soon,” the company says. Its G700 can fly routes up to 7,750nm (14,353km) – more than any jet in Gulfstream’s fleet.
“We have successfully completed the most-rigorous certification programme in company history with the G700,” says Gulfstream president Mark Burns. “The G700 brings a new level of performance and cabin comfort to business aviation and is doing so while meeting the highest certification standards our industry has ever seen.”
The FAA did not immediately respond to a request for confirmation.
Gulfstream launched development of the G700 in October 2019, saying at the time that the jet would be flying with customers in 2022. In October 2021, it launched a sister ship, the G800, which is slightly smaller but has more range – 8,000nm.
“The G800 flight-test programme continues to progress well,” Gulfstream says. ”Given it’s leveraging much of the work completed with the G700 testing, we anticipate certification later this year.”
The G700 project faced repeated certification delays, attributed by company executives to unexpectedly intense scrutiny by the FAA in response to criticism that the agency had failed to thoroughly vet the 737 Max.
Gulfstream said on 29 March that the FAA, with its G700 certification, “confirmed two new performance improvements” for the jet. Those include a “balanced field-length take-off distance” of 1,827m (5,995ft), and a landing distance of 960m. Both figures are shorter than Gulfstream previously anticipated.
Powered by twin Rolls-Royce Pearl 700 turbofans, G700s can fly at speeds up to Mach 0.935 and at 51,000ft of altitude. They can be outfitted with seats for up to 19 passengers.
The G700 has the same Honeywell Primus Epic-based Symmetry avionics as the G500 and G600, with touchscreen displays and BAE Systems-designed active-control side sticks, which are linked so each pilot feels the other’s commands.
Story updated on 29 March to include comments from Gulfstream.
