G280 Accrues 58 City-Pair Speed Records

Gulfstream Aerospace’s G280 has racked up its 58th city-pair speed record on a recent flight in Africa. The super midsize jet flew 3,248 nm from Windhoek, Namibia, in the southern part of Africa, to Dakar, Senegal, on the west coast, in seven hours and 38 minutes at an average speed of Mach 0.80. The record was approved by the U.S. National Aeronautic Association and sent to the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale in Switzerland for recognition as a world record.

The G280 departed from Windhoek’s Eros Airport, which has an elevation of 5,575 feet. "Our customer’s very specific mission requirement allowed us to demonstrate the aircraft’s maximum takeoff performance and smooth handling under challenging conditions,” said Scott Neal, senior v-p, worldwide sales for Gulfstream.

Of the 58 records achieved since the G280’s November 2012 entry into service, four have been made within Africa. The three others involved trips from Luanda, Angola, to Cape Town, South Africa; Johannesburg, South Africa, to Luanda; and Libreville, Gabon, to Casablanca, Morocco.

Gulfstream continues to look to expand the aircraft’s presence in the continent, displaying the G280 at this week’s Aviation Africa conference in Kigali, Rwanda.