Gulfstream completed the first flight of its new G800 business jet on Wednesday, June 28, at Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport. (Photo courtesy of Gulfstream)
Gulfstream’s new G800 business jet completed its first flight at the company’s Savannah headquarters on Wednesday, launching the flight testing campaign for what will become the longest-range aircraft in the company’s history.
The G800 program was first revealed by Gulfstream in October 2021 with a range of 8,000 nautical miles/14,816 kilometers at Mach 0.85, powered by Rolls-Royce Pearl 700 engines. According to Gulfstream, the first flight lasted two hours, taking off and landing at Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport.
“We are seeing great interest in the G800,” Mark Burns, president, Gulfstream, said in the company’s announcement of the first flight. Gulfstream also highlighted the 19-passenger jet’s use of a “blend of sustainable aviation fuel” on the first flight.
Gulfstream shared this image of the new G800’s wingtip after completing the first flight on Wednesday. (Photo courtesy of Gulfstream)
Gulfstream is keeping the Symmetry flight deck—based on Honeywell’s Primus Epic cockpit suite—for the G800 that made its debut with the G500. One innovation within the flight deck of the G800 is a new combined vision system that blends enhanced and synthetic vision in the cockpit’s dual head up displays.
The G800 also features flight control computers supplied by Thales, while GE Aviation is supplying the jet’s data concentration network and power and health management systems.
Completion of the first flight of the G800 by Gulfstream also confirms another avionics-related milestone completed by the company. In May, General Dynamics Chairman and CEO Phebe Novakovic explained to investors and analysts during an earnings call how the completion of a new software validation requirement from the FAA was necessary to launch the first flight of the G800.
Upon launching the G800 in October, Gulfstream was anticipating customer deliveries of the G800 to begin next year.