Gulfstream Aerospace has moved a step closer to certifying its G250 business jet, with the second flight-test aircraft successfully completing natural icing tests.
The G250, an upgraded version of the Gulfstream G200, is under joint development by Gulfstream and Israel Aerospace Industries and is being manufactured in Israel.
G250 Serial Number (S/N) 2002 left Israel last month, crossed the Atlantic and landed in Tennessee, where it spent several weeks flying to the Great Lakes region to hunt for natural icing conditions aloft.
The G250 successfully completed the test points required for certification, including allowing ice to build up on the aircraft’s unprotected surfaces and then verifying the aircraft’s stability and control characteristics, as well as evaluating the ice protection systems and the tolerance of the aircraft after being exposed to icing conditions for 45 minutes.
The anti-ice system on the leading edge of the G250 wing uses heated bleed air from the engines routed to the leading edges to prevent ice formation
“During one particular flight, the crew encountered icing concentrations in excess of the regulatory design envelope,” Pres Henne, Gulfstream senior vice president, Programs, Engineering and Test, said.
“The aircraft remained in this condition for an equivalent icing exposure time of more than 50 minutes to allow adequate accumulation of ice. Despite the extremely demanding conditions and ice accumulation on all untreated surfaces, the aircraft performed flawlessly.”
S/N 2002 will now undergo overnight cold-soak trials, having completed a similar test in Finland. The aircraft has also completed hot-weather testing on the coast of the Red Sea.
The three G250s in the flight-test program have to date accrued more than 955 flight hours in 324 flights ahead of a planned FAA certification date later this year.
(Gulfstream Aerospace)
