GULFSTREAM G250 COMPLETES NATURAL ICING TESTS

Aircraft Now Involved In Function And Reliability Testing

SAVANNAH, Ga., March 22, 2011 – Gulfstream Aerospace Corp.’s second Gulfstream G250 flight-test aircraft successfully completed natural icing tests, bringing the large-cabin, mid-range aircraft several steps closer to its certification later this year by the Federal Aviation Administration and the Civil Aviation Authority of Israel.

Serial Number (S/N) 2002 left its home base in Israel last month, crossed the Atlantic and landed in Smryna, Tenn., 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 G250 performed exceptionally well," said Pres Henne, senior vice president, Programs, Engineering and Test, Gulfstream. "During one particular flight, the crew encountered icing concentrations in excess of the regulatory design envelope. 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."

The anti-ice system on the leading edge of the G250 wing was adapted from large-cabin Gulfstream aircraft. Heated bleed air from the engines is routed to the leading edges to prevent ice formation.

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.

S/N 2003 has started function and reliability testing in Israel, where the G250 is manufactured in cooperation with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI). Function and reliability tests demonstrate that the aircraft, its components and its systems consistently operate as expected. Reaching this point is considered a major milestone toward certification. 

With flight test well under way, manufacturing continues for the first production aircraft, S/N 2004. The empennage and wing have been joined to the fuselage, and installation of the aircraft’s systems has begun.

Component-level fatigue testing on the main landing gear and rudder continues, while the full-up fatigue test article, S/N 1999, proceeds with preparation for testing over 40,000 cycles.

The three aircraft in the flight-test program have already accrued more than 955 hours in 324 flights.

 

NOTE TO EDITORS

Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), designs, develops, manufactures, markets, services and supports the world’s most technologically advanced business-jet aircraft. Gulfstream has produced more than 1,900 aircraft for customers around the world since 1958. To meet the diverse transportation needs of the future, Gulfstream offers a comprehensive fleet of aircraft, comprising the wide-cabin, high-speed Gulfstream G150®; the large-cabin, mid-range Gulfstream G200®; the new large-cabin, mid-range Gulfstream G250®; the large-cabin, mid-range Gulfstream G350®; the large-cabin, long-range Gulfstream G450®; the large-cabin, ultra-long-range Gulfstream G500®; the large-cabin, ultra-long-range Gulfstream G550® and the ultra-large-cabin, ultra-long-range G650®. Gulfstream also offers aircraft ownership services via Gulfstream Pre-Owned Aircraft Sales®. The company employs more than 10,000 people at 10 major locations. We invite you to visit our website for more information and photos of Gulfstream aircraft at www.gulfstream.com.

General Dynamics, headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, employs approximately 90,000 people worldwide. The company is a market leader in business aviation; land and expeditionary combat systems, armaments and munitions; shipbuilding and marine systems; and information systems and technologies. More information about the company is available on the Internet at www.generaldynamics.com