Gulfstream resumes G650 flight testing
30 May 2011
Savannah, Georgia: Gulfstream Aerospace Corp has resumed the G650 flight-test programme, following a temporary suspension after a 2 April accident. The first flight since the accident took place on May 28.
Gulfstream resumed flying with the four remaining flight-test aircraft. The company still anticipates certification in 2011, with service entry in 2012, as was originally planned at the aircraft's public launch in 2008.
"We have conducted all the necessary reviews to assure ourselves that we can safely resume the flight-test program at this point," said Pres Henne, senior vice president, programs, engineering and test, Gulfstream. "We have worked closely with the Federal Aviation Administration in this process and received the agency's concurrence to resume flight testing. It is our responsibility to move forward with the flight-test program, and we will do so in a safe and prudent manner.
The G650 will enter service as the flagship of our product line, where it will represent the very best in business aviation technology."
The Gulfstream G650 ultra-large-cabin, ultra-high speed business jet is the flagship of the Gulfstream fleet that will fly faster and farther than any traditional business aircraft. Gulfstream says it will also a provide passengers a level of comfort far greater than any other aircraft in its class.
The G650 is designed to carry eight passengers and a crew of four on nonstop legs of 7,000 nautical miles (12,964 km). That means it will link Dubai with New York and London with Buenos Aires. With powerful Rolls-Royce BR725 engines, the G650 will cover shorter distances at a speed of Mach 0.925 though the long range cruise speed is 0.85 Mach.
