G650, G250 Aircraft on Track for 2011 Certification
Flight-test programs for our two newest aircraft, the G650 and G250 business jets, continue apace. By mid-February, the five aircraft in the G650 flight-test program had completed more than 360 flights and accumulated more than 1,220 flight-test hours. Some of their more-notable achievements include reaching a maximum speed of Mach 0.995 and completing a flight of 14 hours. But perhaps the most exciting test involved the flight of G650 s/n 6004 from Burbank to Savannah on Jan. 12. The aircraft covered a distance of more than 1,900 nautical miles* at nearly the speed of sound. It touched down in Savannah just 3 hours and 26 minutes after departing the West Coast. While all this was happening, the G650 manufacturing center at Savannah easily made the transition from producing test-flight aircraft to assembling production airplanes.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, the G250 test-flight program is showing equal progress. The three aircraft in the G250 program at Israel Aerospace Industries have conducted more than 230 test flights over 730 hours. Some of their more-notable accomplishments include: achieving a maximum speed of Mach 0.85 and a maximum altitude of 45,000 feet, and conducting a flight of more than seven hours duration.
Both of these impressive aircraft are on track for certification by the FAA and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) this year.
* NBAA IFR theoretical range. Actual range will be affected by ATC routing, operating speed, weather, outfitting options and other factors.
