Fastest
Civil Aircraft - Gulfstream G650 sets world record
Savannah, GA, USA -- The Gulfstream
G650 flew at its proposed Mmo of 0.925 for the first
time on Sunday, May 2 - setting the new world record for the
Fastest
Civil Aircraft.
The ultra-large-cabin, ultra-long-range
flight-test aircraft (S/N 6001) took off from Savannah at
1:38 p.m. with Gulfstream's chief test pilot John O'Meara
and Senior Experimental Test Pilot Tom Horne at the controls.
The aircraft reached its top speed of Mach 0.925 while at
42,500 feet.
"The G650 excelled at its top speed of Mach
0.925," O'Meara said. "Even at near the speed of sound, the
aircraft provides stable and precise handling characteristics.
It's very responsive to pilot input with fantastic maneuver
capabilities. Turns can be initiated and completed without
any onset of buffet."
"The engine performance is extremely smooth.
At the conditions flown today, the entire operation was flawless.
The aircraft's capabilities and state-of-the-art technologies
make it very easy to fly and will enhance our customers' experience
with their G650."
The G650 is a clean-sheet aircraft the US
company calls the biggest, fastest and furthest-flying purpose-designed
business jet yet.
The previous Guinness world record holder
for the Fastest
Civil Aircraft was the Cessna’s Mach 0.92 Citation
X.
Joining Gulfstream’s product line-up above the G550, which
will continue in production, the G650 offers a 7,000nm (13,000km)
range at Mach 0.85, a maximum cruise speed of M0.925 and the
largest cabin in its class, the company says.
The G650
offers the same cabin cross-section as the Bombardier Global
Express XRS, but longer ranges at higher speeds.
Design requirements included a bigger, quieter,
more comfortable and reliable cabin; a range of 7,000nm at
M0.85 and 5,000nm at M0.90; and a maximum take-off weight
no greater than 45,360kg (100,000lb) for access to key airports
like New York’s Teterboro.
The G650 offers the longest range at the
fastest speed in its class. Powered by best-in-class Rolls-Royce
BR725 engines, the business jet will be capable of traveling
7,000 nautical miles (12,964 km) at Mach 0.85.
