Story ID: 1021612alerts
Gulfstream G280 and G650 on Final Approach
By: Chad Trautvetter
Caption: As of January 25, the four flight-test G650s had logged more than 2,675 flight hours over 820 flights.
Word Count: 214
Gulfstream’s super-midsize G280 and wide-cabin G650 are making “significant progress” toward full type approval in the second quarter and entry into service by midyear, the company said this week at the Singapore Airshow. The G650 obtained provisional type certification from the FAA in November; the G280 received similar approval from Israeli authorities in December.

As of January 25, the four flight-test G650s had logged more than 2,675 flight hours over 820 flights. Final testing of the G650’s PlaneView II avionics suite, which includes the flight management system and automatic flight control system, is now complete. In support of approval for flight into known icing, the G650 test aircraft have been flown with artificial ice shapes to determine aerodynamic performance and confirm handling qualities.

Meanwhile, the three G280 test aircraft have accumulated more than 1,835 hours during some 685 flights, and the fatigue test article is about a third of the way through a 40,000-cycle trial. Recent flight-test achievements for the super-midsize twinjet include the completion of wet-runway, crosswind, rejected takeoff and maximum energy brake testing. G280 S/N 2009 is now in initial-phase production, with the fuselage joining currently under way. Gulfstream also announced that it will offer its PlaneParts cost-per-hour maintenance program to customers of both of the new models.