“Pearls are Always Appropriate”  —Jackie Kennedy

Gulfstream Aerospace, the General Dynamics subsidiary and maker of jets coveted by One-Percenters and one-hundred-percent of pilots, has announced the all-new Rolls-Royce Pearl 700 engines by which its G700 and ultralong-range G800 aircraft are to be powered have achieved European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certification.

Gulfstream president Mark Burns remarked: “The certification of the Rolls-Royce Pearl 700 engines for the G700 and G800 is a significant step that brings us closer to delivering these game-changing aircraft to our customers. We are seeing a high level of demand for both the G700 and G800, and they are set to lead the upper end of the ultra-long-range distance segment with their unique combination of range, speed, and cabin size.”

Rolls-Royce’s Pearl series engines are evolutions of the company’s BR700 family of turbofan power-plants. Developed jointly by BMW and Rolls-Royce, BR700 series engines are manufactured in Dahlewitz, Germany by an entity known as Rolls-Royce Deutschland. The Pearl 700 is a direct descendant of the twin-shaft BR725 turbofan, but improves on its ancestor’s 16,900-lbf output with a take-off thrust rating of 18,250-lbf, and an accompanying reduction in fuel-consumption of three-to-five-percent.

Announced at 2019’s NBAA convention, Gulfstream’s G700 boasts a nonstop range of up to 7,500-nautical-miles and a high-speed cruise figure of 0.90 Mach. The aircraft’s cabin features four living areas for up to 13 passengers, and comfortably sleeps up to eight drowsy globe-trotters.

The G800—with its dazzling nonstop range of up to 8,000-nautical-miles at 0.85 Mach—exceeds even its G700 stablemate. On flights longer than 6,500-nautical-miles, the G800’s speed and efficiency combine to save time-conscious travelers as much as 1.5-hours.

The G700 and G800 are each capable of reaching a maximum speed of 0.925 Mach and a service-ceiling of FL510. Up front, both aircraft afford pilots the collective advantages and superb situational awareness of Gulfstream’s Symmetry Flight Deck, multi-sensor synthetic vision suite, dual Heads Up Displays (HUD), and Gulfstream’s proprietary Predictive Landing Performance System. In-flight control of the G700 and G800 is via Gulfstream’s unique, electronically-linked active-control sidesticks.

By deftly amalgamating brute power, aerodynamic know-how, and thoughtful engineering, Gulfstream has consistently produced swift, tireless machines, the formidability of which is belied by docile flight characteristics and rock-steady dispatch reliability. With the G700 and G800, Gulfstream convincingly asserts its high-station among the world’s elite airframers, and serves notice of its intention to remain securely ensconced in aviation’s vanguard.

FMI: www.gulfstream.com