The fifth and final Gulfstream G650 flight-test aircraft has successfully flown for the first time as the business jet moves closer to certification.
The final G650 test aircraft took off from Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport in Georgia on January 24 and flew for nearly three hours, reaching a maximum speed of Mach 0.94 and a top altitude of 51,000 feet.
The high Mach number was achieved to validate the aircraft’s maximum speed for stability characteristics, a requirement for receiving a Certificate of Airworthiness from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). However, such high speeds are outside the G650’s normal flight envelope, with the aircraft’s maximum allowable Mach number expected to be Mach 0.925.
As we’ve reported previously here, Gulfstream is pushing to nudge the G650 ahead of Cessna’s Citation X to take the coveted title of fastest civil aircraft in the world. The Citation X can reach a top speed of Mach 0.92.
Gulfstream’s senior vice president, Programs, Engineering and Test, Pres Henne, says the first flight of the fifth test G650 represents a significant milestone in the overall certification program.
“We’ve had four aircraft flying for some time now, so we’ve already accomplished a broad range of tests,” he explains. “In addition, the fatigue test article has moved to the structural-test hangar, where it will be used to evaluate the lifelong structural integrity of the aircraft. The flight-test program is moving along at a brisk pace.”
The first of the five G650 flight-test aircraft flew for the first time on November 25 2009 and in total the five aircraft have now surpassed 1100 hours in their flight-test program. Gulfstream says the aircraft is on schedule for certification later this year and first deliveries in 2012.
The fifth Gulfstream G650 flight-test aircraft on its maiden flight. (Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation)
