Gulfstream Flies Third G600, On Track for 2018 EIS

Gulfstream Aerospace (Booth T134, Static SD06) continues to check off milestones for its G500 and G600 programs, with a G500 recently logging its longest test flight and the third G600 making its maiden flight earlier this month.

The third flight-test Gulfstream G600, T3, successfully completed its maiden flight on May 5. Registered N730GD, the fly-by-wire twinjet took off from Savannah-Hilton Head International Airport on a four-hour, 35-minute inaugural test flight. This milestone was reached just five months into the flight-test campaign for the G600, which will have a 6,200-nm range at Mach 0.85.

“The consistent execution of the G600 flight-test program is directly correlated to our investments in research and development and is a testament to the rigor and discipline of our processes,” said Gulfstream president Mark Burns. “We look forward to our G600 entering service next year.”

In all, four flight-test aircraft and a production G600 will be used for the test program. “We increased the number of flight-test aircraft from three to four to maximize our efficiency in flight testing,” a company spokeswoman told AIN.

T1, which has logged more than 311 hours since its first flight on December 17, will be used to test brakes development, flying qualities, stall speeds, air data and RVSM; T2, which has 52 flight hours, will focus on loads, climb performance, flyover noise and function and reliability testing; T3 will be used for field performance, ice protection, cabin pressurization and oxygen system testing; and T4 will test automatic flight control systems, avionics and the fuel system. P1, the first production G600, will test cabin systems and the production interior.

Meanwhile, the G500 has remained on track for service entry this year, with five flight-test aircraft amassing more than 2,750 hours. The program logged its longest endurance flight when a G500 flew 10 hours, six minutes across the U.S. last month. The flight, which was used to test the onboard satellite communications system, took off from Savannah, Georgia, flew 300 miles west of San Francisco over the Pacific Ocean and headed back to Savannah. The route covered 4,808 nm.

Gulfstream flew the fifth of five test G500s—a production aircraft being used for cabin evaluation—on the mission. Phebe Novakovic, chairman and CEO of Gulfstream parent General Dynamics, said during the company’s first-quarter earnings call latye last month that Gulfstream expects to wrap up certification flight tests for the G500 in October, with certification and initial deliveries still anticipated by year-end. The G500 is designed to fly 5,000 nm at Mach 0.85 or 3,800 nm at Mach 0.90.