Gulfstream will begin deliveries of the G600 in the second half of 2019, after the business jet earned FAA type certification June 28. Photo: Gulfstream
Gulfstream is ready to start deliveries of the G600 after the aircraft achieved type certification and simultaneously earned a production certificate from the FAA on June 28.
The business jet manufacturer plans to begin G600 deliveries in the second half of 2019, according to an emailed statement. FAA type certification allows G600 operators to fly internationally, as long as the aircraft is based in the U.S. Gulfstream expects to obtain its next regulatory type certification in Europe.
“We are working with other civil aviation regulators. Type certificate validation from the European Aviation Safety Agency should come next,” a representative for Gulfstream told Avionics International.
G600’s type certification comes following the G500’s certification and entry into service late last year. Both aircraft are the first business jets to feature active control sidesticks. The sidesticks, supplied by BAE Systems, are electronically linked by a digital data bus and move in-sync under the control of internal electronic motors.
Gulfstream uses the iron bird, pictured here, to test the avionics for the G500 and G600. For type certification, the G600 completed 100,000 hours of lab testing. Photo: Gulfstream
The avionics configuration for the G600 is identical to that of the G500, with Honeywell supplying the Symmetry flight deck, and a third-generation enhanced vision system built by Elbit Systems. Thales provides the G600 fly-by-wire system, while GE Aviation supplies its power and health management systems, along with the embedded data concentration network.
G600 is the larger variant of the two aircraft, with a 6,500 nautical mile range and a Mach 0.85 cruising speed. It has achieved 11 city-pair speed records, and has a maximum operating speed of Mach 0.925. Inside the G600, the cabin is four and a half feet longer than the G500’s cabin. The aircraft can seat up to 19 passengers and has a list price of $58 million.
Gulfstream’s engineering team performed a total of 100,000 hours of simulated flight testing and another 3,200 hours of actual flying to earn the FAA type certificate. All of the current recorded orders for the G600 are for private jet operators, with no current orders obtained for any military or special missions configurations of the G600 or G500.