Flagship Aircraft Has Nearly 40 Records

Gulfstream’s G650 aircraft arrived for the 2014 Singapore Airshow with a potential city-pair record on its resume, this one between Hawaii and Singapore. The flagship Gulfstream aircraft now has 39 such records.

“I can think of no better way for the G650 to make its Singapore Airshow debut than to land after setting a speed record that demonstrates its flexibility and capability for our customers around the world, particularly Asia,” said Scott Neal, senior vice president, Worldwide Sales and Marketing, Gulfstream. “This record, like the 38 others before it, reflects the G650’s significant speed and range.”

The high-speed G650 took off from the Honolulu International Airport at 9:33 a.m. local time Feb. 7 with five crew members and two passengers on board. It flew 5,909 nautical miles at an average speed of Mach 0.85, arriving at Singapore’s Changi International Airport 14 hours and 6 minutes later. The aircraft flew against headwinds exceeding 100 knots for more than half the flight.

Pending approval by the U.S. National Aeronautic Association, this record will be sent to the Federation Aeronautique Internationale in Switzerland for recognition as a world record.

“The G650’s speed and range truly make it a time machine for our operators, saving them considerable time as they travel around the world,” Neal said. “That is one of the top features of the G650, but it’s not the only one. In addition to getting there faster, operators can do so much more in the cabin, whether it’s conducting a conference call, sending an email or just relaxing in preparation for their arrival.”

The G650 entered service on Dec. 20, 2012. Since then, Gulfstream has delivered more than 50 G650 aircraft to customers. The G650 fleet has more than 14,000 flight hours and over 6,600 landings. The fleet leader has accumulated more than 1,000 flight hours and 550 landings.

The Gulfstream G650, which is certified in 10 countries, goes farther faster than any other business jet in the world. The aircraft has a top speed of Mach 0.925. At Mach 0.90, it can whisk eight passengers and four crew 6,000 nm. At Mach 0.85, its range increases to 7,000 nm. That’s Singapore to Madrid or London nonstop. In 2013, the G650 set an around-the-world speed record when it circled the globe in just 41 hours and 7 minutes.

The G650 has the largest purpose-built business-jet cabin, with a number of amenities to make life on board comfortable and more productive, including wider seats, more aisle room and a large stateroom option. Passengers enjoy the largest windows, the quietest cabin and the low cabin altitude to improve comfort and reduce fatigue on long-range flights.

In addition, Gulfstream developed the Gulfstream Cabin Management System, which allows passengers to control the cabin entertainment, temperature and lighting with a smart device, such as an iPhone or iPod touch.  The G650 also offers a number of safety advancements as standard features, including Gulfstream’s enhanced and synthetic vision systems, which improve the pilot’s situational awareness in low visibility conditions.

(G650 image from file)

FMI: www.gulfstream.com