Gulfstream Aerospace has announced that after an at times troublesome testing phases its Gulfstream G650 business jet has received its provisional type certificate from the US Federal Aviation Administration.
The awarding of the provisional type certificate (PTC) clears the way for the manufacturer to begin interior completions of the ultra-large-cabin, ultra-long-range biz jet in preparation for customer deliveries in the second quarter of 2012.
PTCs have been common in General Aviation programs over the past 15 years. Both the Gulfstream V and the Gulfstream G550 were issued PTCs before receiving full certification.
“We are pursuing a two-step certification approach to keep us on track for our planned deliveries in the second quarter of 2012,” Gulfstream President Larry Flynn said. “With the PTC in hand, our plan is to move production aircraft into final phase manufacturing to ensure customer deliveries in the second quarter of 2012.”
The four G650 aircraft in the flight-test program have flown more than 2225 hours during more than 675 flights. One of those aircraft has a fully outfitted interior, allowing the company to confirm weight projections and test new features, including its Cabin Essential design for redundant cabin systems.
Seven production aircraft have flown in preparation for their induction into final phase manufacturing. More than 20 aircraft are in various stages of initial or final phase production.
Among its achievements to date, the G650 has flown for more than 14 consecutive hours, with flight test data confirming its ability to achieve 7000nm (12,964km) at Mach 0.85. The aircraft has also demonstrated 5000nm (9,260km) at Mach 0.90. With a top speed of Mach 0.925, the G650 is the world’s fastest civilian jet.
However, the G650 testing phase wasn’t without incident. On April 2 the program suffered a major setback when one of the test aircraft crashed at Roswell International Air Center in New Mexico while conducting brake testing, killing the four Gulfstream staff on board.
The Gulfstream G650. (Gulfstream Aerospace Corp.)
