Taking flight
Gulfstream G700 development accelerates as two more aircraft officially start flight testing.
04 June 2020
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Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation has announced the second and third Gulfstream G700TM test aircraft have taken flight, further advancing toward certification and customer deliveries of the industry’s new flagship.
The second G700 flight-test aircraft had its first voyage on 20 March, departing Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport (SAV) and flying for 2 hours and 58 minutes. The aircraft reached an altitude of 13,716-metres and a speed of Mach 0.85.
Also departing from SAV, the third flight-test aircraft flew for the first time today, soaring over Savannah for 3 hours and 2 minutes. It also reached an altitude of 13,716-metres and a speed of Mach 0.85.
“The G700 flight-test program is running very well, a reflection of the extensive testing we conducted in our ground labs,” said Mark Burns, President of Gulfstream.
“All three flight-test aircraft are performing exactly as we expected them to, and that helps us ensure a safe and thorough certification of the highest performing, most spacious and technologically advanced aircraft in business aviation.”
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The three flight-test aircraft have flown more than 100 hours since the program’s first flight on 14 February. The G700 has reached a maximum altitude of 16,459-metres and a maximum speed of Mach 0.94.
The current flight-test aircraft are being used for envelope expansion, flutter testing, flying qualities and flight control, as well as mechanical systems, flights into known icing and environmental control systems, among other tests.
The G700 features the longest, widest and tallest cabin in the industry with twenty Gulfstream panoramic oval windows and up to five living areas, along with an ultra-galley with more than 10 feet of counter space and a crew compartment or passenger lounge, a master suite with shower, and the industry’s only ultra-high-definition circadian lighting system.
The G700 is powered by Rolls-Royce Pearl 700 engines and can fly at its high-speed cruise of Mach 0.90 for 11,853 kilometres or at its long-range cruise of Mach 0.85 for 13,890 kilometres. The G700 also includes the Gulfstream Symmetry Flight DeckTM with the industry’s only electronically linked active control sidesticks, the most extensive use of touch- screen technology in business aviation, and Gulfstream’s award-winning Predictive Landing Performance System.
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