Story ID: 040
Gulfstream’s G600 Crosses the Finish Line
By: Curt Epstein
Caption: The Savannah airframer is now set to begin deliveries of the latest addition to its product line up later this year.
Word Count: 557
Gulfstream's newest addition to its lineup, the large-cabin, long-range G600, earned both its type and production certificates from the FAA on June 28, paving the way for deliveries to begin later this year. If the process follows Gulfstream's experience with the smaller sibling to the G600, the G500, those deliveries would likely start next month. The G500 received U.S. approval in July 2018 and Gulfstream delivered the first of the model on September 27. Through early March of this year, it had delivered 10 G500s. For Gulfstream, the G600 combined certificate awards represent its third model to receive both approvals simultaneously, joining the G550 in 2003 and the G500.

“Getting both authorizations on the same day is evidence of the maturity of our G600 production processes and speaks to the safety and reliability of the aircraft’s design,” said Mark Burns, the Georgia-based airframer’s president. “Even more remarkable is the fact that we achieved these simultaneous certifications less than a year after completing another major program, certifying and delivering the Gulfstream G500." He added that the G600 program tallied nearly 100,000 hours of laboratory testing and more than 3,200 hours of flight testing.

The G600 has a cabin that is configurable for three living areas, with a range of 6,500 nm at its long-range cruise of Mach 0.85, and at its high-speed cruise of Mach 0.90 can travel 5,500 nm. "We can't wait to put the newest member of our aircraft family, one that spectacularly combines performance, efficiency, technology, and comfort that are second to none, into the hands of our worldwide customers," said Burns.

The G600 program shared much of the same data as the G500, since they share the same base type certificate for both models. The G600 was particularly able to benefit from the shared data in a number of aircraft systems. But the G500 and G600 have different wings, which necessitated separate aerodynamics testing.

Two simulators are already in place with FlightSafety for the G500, and since the G500 and G600 have identical flight decks, the simulators can be shared. Both models are equipped with the Honeywell Primus Epic-based Gulfstream Symmetry flight deck with touchscreen displays and fly-by-wire with active-control sidesticks. Colin Miller, senior v-p of innovation, engineering, and flight, said the G500/G600 program benefited from the Gulfstream G650 fly-by-wire technology. Calling the system on the G650 a big step forward, Miller added, “The flight controls and the way we did that set the stage for partnering…with the sidestick.” The fly-by-wire technology also enables other safety enhancements such as high-speed protection, he added.

Both are equipped with enhanced vision system (EVS) and the G500 was the first in the Gulfstream lineup to receive approval to use the EVS to land. They both will be certified for steep approaches. The aircraft not only meet Stage 5 noise standards but also benefit from quiet technology that has been developed with the help of submarine acoustic engineering expertise from its parent company General Dynamics to help design that quiet environment, Miller said.

A primary difference between the G500 and G600 is cabin length. Both can be fitted for 19 passengers and feature 6-ft, 2-in high and 7-ft, 7-in wide cabins. But the 600 has a 45-ft, 2-in cabin length, while the 500 has a cabin that is 41-ft, 6-in long.
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