Gulfstream today announced a 14% increase in range from its original projections for the all-new G600 business jet, which is nearing certification.
Speaking at a press conference this morning, Gulfstream president Mark Burns said the Pratt & Whitney Canada PW815-powered type will now deliver a range of 5,500nm (10,190km) at its high-speed cruise of Mach 0.9.
The Savannah-based company is exhibiting the G600 alongside its recently in-service G500 sister. It is the first time the PW814-engined G500 has appeared at NBAA as a certificated aircraft, having received its Federal Aviation Administration approval in July.
Speaking at this morning's event, Burns said: “The incredible high-speed performance of the G600 is a testament to our engineering and design teams. As part of our continuous improvement culture, they have enhanced this aircraft’s capabilities, ensuring we continue to best our customer’s expectations. We started with a range projection of 4,800 nautical miles at Mach 0.9, increased that to 5,100 nautical miles in 2017 and are now at 5,500 – proving once again that delivering more than we promised is a Gulfstream tradition.”
With its range increase, the G600 can now fly nonstop from London to Los Angeles, São Paulo to Aspen or Hong Kong to Vienna at M0.9. At its long-range cruise speed of M0.85, it can extend range to 6,500nm.
In an update of the certification programme, Burns says the five aircraft in the flight-test programme have accumulated more than 2,600 flight hours with more than 685 flights. There are only test for crew workload; flight into known icing; and function and reliability remaining before certification.
The first G500 customer took delivery of the aircraft on 27 September. The G500 on the static is the fifth test aircraft and is the one that Gulfstream has been using as a cabin demonstrator for the past year, flying it around the world to trade shows to show off the interior and test various systems. It has appeared at the last two NBAA events.
Ahead of piloting a demonstration flight for media at Orlando Executive Airport on Saturday, Scott Evans, director of demonstrations and corporate flight operations, said the most striking feature of the G500 is how quiet it is. "When you sit in the cabin, you can almost hear the APU."
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Source: Flight Daily News
