Story ID: 
Gulfstream G700 Rapidly Picking Up Validations
By: Kerry Lynch
Caption: The in-service fleet topped 700 hours within the first 100 days in the market
Word Count: 327
Gulfstream Aerospace’s G700 program has been picking up steam since FAA certification on March 29, accumulating type validations from eight nations along with the European Union Aviation Safety Agency. The Savannah, Georgia airframer listed Mexico among the latest nations to approve the 7,700-nm business jet.After receiving the U.S. nod a little at the end of March, Gulfstream delivered the initial copies in April.  Ahead of Gulfstream’s July 24 quarterly earnings call, analysts and others estimated the airframer had handed over eight by early July—lagging initial  expectations—with others at the time pending a believed modification. Both analyst Baird and Hagerty Jet Group had made that assessment, but Hagerty pointed to a “dozen or so” aircraft that had been lined up on the tarmac in Savannah missing horizontal stabilizers, which it said were believed to be undergoing modification at the behest of the FAA.Even so, Gulfstream reported the in-service fleet has already topped more than 700 flight hours, showing a maturity in the program.“We planned for a seamless entry into service for the G700, and this incredible start is a testament to both the maturity of the program and the dedication of the Gulfstream team,” said Gulfstream president Mark Burns. “Thanks to the investments we made across our business, from research and development to manufacturing and completions, the G700 program is exceeding customer expectations—they are flying their aircraft around the world immediately upon delivery, and the feedback we are hearing is outstanding.”Along with accruing hours, the model continues to rack up city-pair speed records, including from Paris to Montreal in 6 hours 16 minutes and São Paulo to White Plains, New York, in 8 hours 46 minutes. Both flights averaged a speed of at least Mach 0.90. The flights are pending U.S. National Aeronautic Association and Fédération Aéronautique Internationale in Switzerland recognition as world records.These will bring the total number of record flights for the ultra-long-range model to nearly 60. , plain_text