2018 was a year full of accomplishments for Gulfstream Aerospace Corp.
The company announced a second range increase for its all-new Gulfstream G600 business jet. The award-winning aircraft will deliver 5,500 nautical miles/10,186 kilometers of range at its high-speed cruise of Mach 0.90, a 700-nm/1,296-km increase over original projections.
“The incredible high-speed performance of the G600 is a testament to our engineering and design teams,” said Mark Burns, president, Gulfstream. “As part of our continuous improvement culture, they have enhanced this aircraft’s capabilities, ensuring we continue to best our customer’s expectations. We started with a range projection of 4,800 nautical miles at Mach 0.90, increased that to 5,100 nautical miles in 2017 and are now at 5,500 — proving once again that delivering more than we promised is a Gulfstream tradition.”
With its range increase, the G600 can now fly nonstop from London to Los Angeles, São Paulo to Aspen or Hong Kong to Vienna at Mach 0.90. The G600 can travel 6,500 nm/12,038 km at its long-range cruise speed of Mach 0.85. The maximum operating speed for the aircraft is Mach 0.925.
“The Gulfstream G600 continues to leverage its extensive commonality with the G500,” Burns said. “Lessons learned on the G500 have enabled us to move with more efficiency through the same tests for the G600.”
The G600 recently completed certification testing for flying qualities; engine and thrust reverser operations; ice protection and environmental control system; field performance; smoke evacuation; flight controls; ventilation and cooling; fuel system and flammable fluid drainage.
The aircraft’s all-new interior earned top honors in Private Jet Design at the 2018 International Yacht & Aviation Awards. The G600 is expected to earn its type certification later this year, while its service entry is slated for 2019.
Gulfstream G650 family has now achieved more than 75 city-pair records, just a few weeks after the ultra-long-range aircraft demonstrated steep approach capabilities at London City Airport.
“Even with more than 315 G650ER and G650 aircraft in service around the world, we continue to enhance the utility, flexibility and real-world performance of these already class-defining aircraft,” said Mark Burns, president, Gulfstream.
The G650ER demonstrated its performance advantage with the following records, pending approval by the National Aeronautic Association:
- Keflavik, Iceland, to Foz do Iguaçu, Brazil, in 11 hours and 46 minutes at an average speed of Mach 0.90
- Beijing to Paris in nine hours and 18 minutes at an average speed of Mach 0.90
- Tel Aviv, Israel, to Kiev, Ukraine, in two hours and 41 minutes at an average speed of Mach 0.90
- Kiev, Ukraine, to London in two hours and 50 minutes at an average speed of Mach 0.90
Once approved for London City, the G650 family will be the fastest, largest, longest-range business aircraft to operate at the airport.
Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. also announced its fleet of in-production aircraft has Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) approval for Visual Advantage credit using the Enhanced Flight Vision System (EFVS). This industry-first approval gives select operators authorization to dispatch and begin instrument approaches in low-visibility conditions below published approach minima.
“Providing this capability to our operators reinforces Gulfstream’s tradition of continuous improvement,” said Dan Nale, senior vice president, Programs, Engineering and Test, Gulfstream.
“This innovation leverages Gulfstream’s significant technological expertise and provides several benefits to our operators: increased efficiency, streamlined operations and enhanced safety.”
Additionally, all Gulfstream large-cabin aircraft have completed their certification flight testing for EFVS to touchdown and rollout operations. Gulfstream anticipates final FAA certification and operational approvals for the Gulfstream G500 and Gulfstream G600 by the end of this year, with approvals for the Gulfstream G450, Gulfstream G550 and Gulfstream G650 to follow.
Gulfstream G280 owners and operators will soon have access to the fastest, most reliable worldwide communications network available for midcabin business jets. Beginning in the first quarter of 2019, Viasat’s high-speed, high-capacity service on the Ka-band frequency is expected to be available to all G280 operators as a completions and retrofit option.
“Our G280 customers will be able to quickly access connectivity, content and services on their personal devices virtually anywhere they fly,” said Dan Nale, senior vice president, Programs, Engineering and Test, Gulfstream. “Viasat’s Ka-band solution will deliver the Wi-Fi speed, coverage and reliability they’ve come to expect from Gulfstream.”
Viasat’s Ka-band solution will be among the offerings included in Gulfstream’s Connectivity Service program, which Gulfstream established as a customer’s single source for equipment, service networks and technical support.
Viasat’s Ka-band service for the G280 includes:
- Video streaming, including conferencing, real-time TV and movies
- Faster internet browsing
- Faster email
New Service Center in West Palm Beach, Florida
Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. will increase services to customers and add to the employees at its West Palm Beach, Florida, site with construction of a new service center at Palm Beach International Airport.
The company will build a nearly 115,000-square-foot/10,684-square-meter maintenance, repair and overhaul facility on the west side of the airport. The new facility, which includes offices, back shops and an approximately 75,000-sq-ft/6,968-sq-m hangar, will replace the smaller one Gulfstream now operates on the south side of the airport. The growth is expected to create approximately 50 jobs, a nearly 50 percent increase in the size of the company’s current West Palm Beach workforce.
Gulfstream’s facility will be adjacent to an all-new storage hangar, customer offices and fuel farm operated by sister company Jet Aviation. The entire facility will be more than 168,000 sq ft/15,608 sq m. Gulfstream and Jet Aviation will invest more than US$50 million in the project. Groundbreaking is scheduled for 2018, and the facility is expected to open by the first quarter of 2020.
“Our West Palm Beach site plays a major role in our service organization, which has experienced sizable growth over the last several years,” said Derek Zimmerman, president, Gulfstream Customer Support. “Like other expansions we’ve announced this year in Savannah; Appleton, Wisconsin; and Farnborough, England; and last year in Van Nuys, California, this expansion in West Palm Beach will keep our service network well-positioned to accommodate the growing demand for aircraft maintenance and refurbishment. The addition of this world-class facility will enhance the West Palm Beach customer and employee experience and help us maintain the service excellence we are known for. Additionally, we look forward to bringing more jobs to the community.”
Gulfstream West Palm Beach has been a company site since 2001. It is home to a service center with more than 46,000 sq ft/4,274 sq m of hangar space. In 2017, the facility had more than 975 aircraft visits. Gulfstream West Palm Beach offers a broad range of services, including major inspections, structural modifications and repairs and major avionics installations and system upgrades. It is a certified U.S. Federal Aviation Administration and European Aviation Safety Agency repair station and also has maintenance approvals from Argentina, Aruba, Bermuda, Brazil, Burundi, Canada, the Cayman Islands, the Isle of Man, Peru, San Marino and Venezuela.
Gulfstream West Palm Beach also supports a Gulfstream Field and Airborne Support Team (FAST) rapid-response unit that assists operators in aircraft-on-ground situations. The unit, which comprises factory-trained technicians and a large custom truck outfitted with equipment and spare parts, is based at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
