Gulfstream said this week its super midsized G280 and ultra-long-range G650 business jets are hitting flight-test milestones and are moving toward entry into service.
The G280 completed several flight-test milestones en route to FAA type certification later this year. The aircraft received a provisional type certificate (PTC) from the Civil Aviation Authority of Israel in December. The aircraft is slated to enter service mid-year. According to Gulfstream, as of Jan. 25, 2012, the three aircraft in the flight-test program have flown more than 1,835 hours during more than 685 flights. The fatigue test article has completed more than 12,500 of 40,000 cycles.
Serial Number (S/N) 2001 recently completed the 100 percent rejected take-off test. S/N 2003 finished all function and reliability activities and is now being transitioned to testing optional avionics features, including the Head-Up Display (HUD II) and Enhanced Vision System (EVS II). S/N 2004, the first production aircraft, was outfitted and painted last year for an appearance at the 2011 National Business Aviation Association Convention & Meeting in Las Vegas. It is undergoing final upgrades in anticipation of its delivery later this year.
The G650 is also slated for FAA and EASA type certification this year, Gulfstream said. As of Jan. 25, the four aircraft in the flight-test program had accumulated more than 2,675 flight hours over 820 flights. The aircraft is expected to enter service the middle of this year. It received a provisional type certificate from the FAA on Nov. 18, 2011, with the full FAA type certificate expected mid-year.
“We’re steadily moving through the test points required for FAA and EASA type certification,” said Pres Henne, senior vice president, Programs, Engineering and Test, Gulfstream. “The closer we get to certification, the more excited we get to put these planes in the hands of our customers. The G650 is meeting our performance expectations.”
Over the past several months, the aircraft has been flown by FAA pilots in certification tests to confirm its stall speeds and minimum control airspeeds. Additionally, it has completed certification testing of its hydraulics, the fly-by-wire flight controls and its fuel system, including determining the unusable fuel quantity, operating under negative g-force and operations with hot fuel.