Gulfstream G500 Flights Focus on Flutter

A year after the Gulfstream G500 rolled out under its own power at a new production building dedicated to the G500/600 program, the facility has remained busy, with the first five G500s nearly complete and work “well under way” for the G600.

Gulfstream announced the 5,000-nm large-cabin, high-speed G500 and its 6,200-nm G600 sibling in October last year. The company expects to receive certification for the G500 in 2017, with deliveries beginning in 2018, and the G600 will follow a year later. But at the unveiling, development was already well advanced, paving the way for first flight of the G500 prototype in May this year.

Gulfstream completed an initial five flights and accumulated 15 hours on the first prototype before suspending trials to equip the aircraft for flutter testing.  The aircraft underwent a “pretty significant” modification involving installation of flutter vanes on the winglets and tail and a recovery chute for the initial flutter testing, a company spokesman said.

The aircraft returned to service in August and by early last month had completed more than 40 hours of flight-testing, including a flight that took off while reporters were on site at Gulfstream’s factory in Savannah, Ga., September 2. In addition to the initial flutter testing, Gulfstream has tested handling qualities and expanded the envelope.

Work Under Way at Two Facilities

While work was under way on the first G500, during the summer Gulfstream handed over the next two flight-test G500s to the flight-test center for final preparations before flight.

Gulfstream said last month that construction of the fourth flight-test G500 was nearly complete and that the fifth was “well under way.” The flight-test program will use five aircraft, the fifth being a fully outfitted production aircraft. The development program further includes two structural test aircraft, also under construction. The fatigue-test aircraft will head to the structural test hangar once Gulfstream completes limit and ultimate load testing.

Additionally, various panels and other components are under construction for the G600. Since the G600 can benefit from the G500 program, rollout does not need to take place exactly a year after the G500 to remain on the outlined schedule, according to . Gulfstream, which has not yet announced when it will roll out or fly. But the G600 integration test facility and iron bird are operational, and the G500 and G600 have already amassed north of 36,000 hours of lab testing.

Production of both models is under way in two facilities each spanning 400,000 sq ft.  One of the facilities opened in September 2012 for research and development on wing manufacturing in advance of production of the first test articles. That facility is now dedicated to wing and tail construction for both the G500 and G600. Gulfstream brought in autoclave technology, mobile robotic platforms for drilling, multi-panel assembly cell equipment for attaching skin panels, and laser radar for high-speed contour mapping of the wing. The second facility, opened in September last year just before the rollout, is the site for fuselage production and final assembly.

Suppliers have moved forward on the programs alongside the OEM. Pratt & Whitney Canada earlier this year obtained Transport Canada approval for the G500’s PW814GA and the G600’s PW815GA. The G500 will reach its 5,000-nm maximum range at Mach 0.85 or 3,800 nm at Mach 0.90; the G600 will be able to vault its full 6,200 nm at Mach 0.85 and 4,800 nm at Mach 0.90. Both aircraft have a maximum speed of Mach 0.925, matching that of the company’s flagship G650 and G650ER.

The aircraft will be fitted with the Symmetry flight deck with Honeywell Primus Epic avionics, active-control sidesticks, integrated touchscreen controllers and next-generation enhanced vision system (EVS III).