Flying magazine recently had a chance to get acquainted with the soon-to-be certified G500 at Gulfstream’s sprawling headquarters in Savannah, Georgia, flying in a simulator and taking a virtual tour of the many variations of the jet’s interior. The conclusion? The G500 is the ultimate Gulfstream.
The jet’s blend of luxury and a state-of-the-art fly-by-wire cockpit rank it atop the most technologically advanced civilian airplanes ever designed.
See below for photos of the G500’s interior and exterior.
The attention to detail Gulfstream places on cabin refinement shows in the finished result.GulfstreamInterior modules can be outfitted in a seemingly endless array of configurations, while galleys and lavatories are created to maximize the available space.GulfstreamGulfstream’s interior-design team helps buyers craft the perfect cabin space by starting with five basic aesthetic themes from which they may choose: classic, layered, sport, minimalist or next-generation.GulfstreamThe G500’s interior designers have created spaces that seamlessly carry over from the home, office, yacht or luxury car.GulfstreamEvery G500 comes standard with a galley, which the buyer can choose to position up front or in the back of the cabin.GulfstreamThe G500 boasts a range up to 5,000 nm at Mach 0.85.GulfstreamPilots are sure to appreciate the thought that went into the design philosophy in the G500. The electric parking brake looks like it was borrowed from a luxury car.GulfstreamThe sidesticks in the G500 retain trim controls.GulfstreamThe G500’s Honeywell Symmetry flight deck represents a sea change for Gulfstream. It incorporates 10 tablet-based touchscreens, each of them replaceable by a pilot, plus four main flight displays that are not touch-capable. The active sidesticks move together in response to pilot inputs, a first for a civilian fly-by-wire airplane. The overall look of the workspace is stunningly beautiful, with ample room for even the tallest pilots to stretch out.GulfstreamThe G500 in flight.GulfstreamA virtual headset at Gulfstream’s Savannah headquarters allows the user to interact with objects in a computer-generated cabin.GulfstreamGulfstream’s virtual test plane, or “iron bird.”GulfstreamFrom my experience in the G500 simulator, it’s clear this is an airplane designed to fly like a tried-and-true Gulfstream despite the fly-by-wire technology operating behind the scenes.GulfstreamThe simulator lacks motion, but everything else, from the cockpit layout to the feedback of the sidesticks to the flight dynamics, is spot on.GulfstreamInside Gulfstream’s Conceptual Advanced Simulation Environment, or CASE.GulfstreamThe Pratt & Whitney PW800 engines give the G500 the best fuel efficiency in class, the lowest noise and an engine TBO of 10,000 hours with no midlife inspection.Gulfstream
