Gulfstream Announces Program Progress For G500; G600 Gulfstream, a General Dynamics Company, just announced the G500 and G600 program progress to-date. The G500 has yielded tremendous results thus far and G600's first Test Article has had the fuselage and wing mated in preparation for its first flight. The G500 flight-test program also achieved several milestones to include receiving the program’s first Type Inspection Authorization (TIA) from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The FAA issued the TIA for inlet compatibility and allowed Gulfstream to perform this testing for certification credit. The G500 flight-test program officially began May 18, 2015, when the first G500 flight-test article, T1, completed its first flight. Since then, T1 has reached a maximum speed of Mach 0.995, a maximum altitude of 53,000 feet/16,154 meters and recently completed its 100th flight. The test fleet, which includes four flight-test articles (T1-T4), has accumulated more than 800 hours of flying time.
The G600 on the other hand, “the wing-to-fuselage join is a significant step in manufacturing the first G600 and reflects our continued steady progress toward first flight, said Mark Burns, president of Gulfstream. In February, the G600 iron bird made its first flight, setting in motion the testing and validation required for the G600’s actual first flight. The iron bird allows engineers to test the flight control and mechanical systems, including landing gear, brakes and hydraulics. The cabins for the G500 and G600 are optimized for safety, comfort and reliability. The aircraft can carry up to 19 passengers, have forward and aft lavatories and include a full-size galley that can be located in either the forward or aft portion of the aircraft. The G500 and G600 feature an industry-leading cabin altitude of 4,850 ft/1,578 m at FL510 and 100 percent fresh air that circulates every two minutes. The G500 is slated to receive type certification in 2017 and deliver in 2018 while the G600 has been projected to enter service in 2019. For more information: Gulfstream Aerospace 500 Gulfstream Road Savannah, GA 31407 www.gulfstream.com ***
