With certification of the G280 imminent, Pres Henne, Senior Vice President, Programs, Engineering and Test at Gulfstream, announced that extensive flight-testing has shown better than expected performance. At Mach 0.80 with four passengers, the airplane has shown a range of 3,600 nm, 200 nm better than the expected range when the program was first announced as the G250 in October 2008 (the name later changed).
Flight testing has also demonstrated that the airplane’s balanced field length has improved by 210 feet over initial estimates, and at 4,750 feet it is 1,300 feet shorter compared with the G200. The Gulfstream G280’s capability to reach 41,000 feet in 20 minutes has also been confirmed and weight estimates are on target.
Gulfstream has serial number 2004 of the G280 on display at the NBAA Convention. The airplane is complete with Gulfstream’s cabin management system – a new system developed for the G650, which is expected to achieve provisional certification later this year.
Certification and entry into service for the G280 is still expected before the end of this year. The G280 replaces the G200, of which 250 will have been delivered, Henne said.
