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Gulfstream’s G600 Development Continues

Second test airplane flies as certification remains on schedule for next year.

With four hours and 26 minutes officially logged yesterday, the second copy of Gulfstream’s new G600 ultra-long-range business jet officially joined the flight test fleet, two months after the maiden flight of the first airplane in December of last year. The first vehicle is conducting flutter testing and expanding the flight envelope; the second G600 is scheduled to soon begin flight-loading testing.

The No. 1 test aircraft has flown more than 150 flight hours, including 22 consecutive sorties without a maintenance discrepancy. Gulfstream recently completed ultimate load testing of the G600 structural test article, a key step in the certification process.

When the G600 is certified by the FAA, expected next year, it will carry as many as 19 passengers or sleep up to nine people on international trips as long as 6,200 nm. That translates into trips such as Teterboro, New Jersey, to Beijing or London to Cape Town nonstop. The G600’s top speed is Mach 0.925, with a maximum cruising altitude of 51,000 feet.

Assuming on-time certification occurs, Gulfstream expects customer deliveries to begin later in 2018.

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