Gulfstream Simulates G650 Test Flight

Less than one year after announcing its introduction, Gulfstream announced the first simulated flight of its G650 business jet. The simulated test flight was carried out in Savannah, Georgia, and is a major milestone in the development of the company’s largest ever offering. While perhaps not as satisfying as an actual first flight, it offered the opportunity to demonstrate the successful integration of numerous cockpit systems, including those designed by Gulfstream and those provided by external suppliers.

Conducted by the project’s lead test pilots, the test also allowed a team of engineers and other pilots a chance to try out the controls during the simulation—an opportunity they are unlikely to get when the first real flight occurs. The G650 simulator was developed in-house by Gulfstream’s own engineers and technicians, and comprises a full-scale cockpit with avionics, hardware and sensors, as well as a full-scale cabin mock-up, complete with galley. It enables all aircraft systems to be thoroughly evaluated and tested by engineers and pilots in a controlled environment well before the aircraft makes its maiden flight, says Gulfstream.

The advanced simulation had a great deal to test, as the G650 has been designed to incorporate redundancy in not only the essential flight systems but also in all major cabin functions, in a design move intended to ensure continuity of functionality for Gulfstream’s customers. The three-axis fly-by-wire flight control system features a quadruple-redundant flight-control computer system for commanding all flight-control surfaces, as well as a separate, dedicated back-up flight-control computer.

The G650 promises some spectacular performance figures. Its the new Rolls-Royce BR725 engines will give it a maximum operating speed of 0.925 Mach—likely to make it the fastest civil aircraft available. Up to eighteen passengers can be carried and its range with 44,200 pounds of fuel is an impressive 7,000 nm maximum. Certification by the FAA and EASA is expected in 2011, and the first customer deliveries are scheduled for 2012; the aircraft’s unit price is currently estimated at $US60 million.