Gulfstream Aerospace has moved to certification flight testing of the new wide-cabin high-speed G150 business jet in conjunction with the Civil Aviation Administration of Israel, following completion of all company flight testing.
Pres Henne, Gulfstream's senior vice-president for programmes, engineering and test, says: "The flight envelope has been completely opened - reaching maximum altitude of 45,000ft (13,700m) and a maximum speed of Mach 0.882. Maximum endurance has already exceeded 5h.
"The aircraft handling qualities at forward and aft of the centre of gravity have been evaluated and the pilots report the aircraft is very stable."
In January this year the first G150 rolled out of the IAI manufacturing plant in Tel Aviv. Four months later it successfully completed first flight.
Gulfstream says the G150 remains on schedule for type certification in Israel in the first quarter of next year, followed shortly afterwards by validation from the US Federal Aviation Administration.
Powered by two Honeywell TFE731-40AR engines, the G150 at a long-range cruise speed of Mach 0.75 can fly four passengers non-stop on city pairs such as New York-Los Angeles, London-Moscow and Rio de Janeiro-Santiago.
The G150 is an entirely new cabin for Gulfstream. Its height is just 5in (130mm) less than that of the large-cabin G350/450/500/550.
Source: Flight Daily News
