Gulfstream says its new large-cabin, long-range G500 is making “significant progress” towards its expected entry-into-service target of late 2017, with the five aircraft in the flight-test campaign having logged more than 2,600h to date in 600 sorties.
“Development testing is complete; company testing is well under way, and [US] FAA certification has started,” says Gulfstream president Mark Burns. These milestones, he adds, put the programme “right on track for certification and customer deliveries later this year”.
The airframer says members of its advanced technology customer advisory team – made up of Gulfstream owners and operators – recently flew in the fully outfitted G500 production aircraft, which serves as a cabin testbed. “The feedback during and after these flights was extremely positive,” Burns says.
Gulfstream
This production aircraft has flown more than 180h since joining the certification effort in August, Gulfstream notes. The first test aircraft, which made its maiden sortie in May 2015, has exceeded 1,000 flying hours, focusing on performance and flight controls, the airframer adds. It has also achieved a maximum speed of Mach 0.990, and a maximum altitude of 53,000ft, says Gulfstream.
The G500 programme was launched in 2014 alongside the larger and longer-range G600, which is currently in flight testing and is scheduled for certification and service entry in 2018.
Both aircraft have been designed with Gulfstream’s widest cabin to date, Pratt & Whitney Canada PW800 engines, fly-by-wire controls and an industry-first application of active control sidesticks in a commercial aircraft.
