Gulfstream on track with G500, G600 development
Gulfstream Aerospace is on track with simultaneous development of its G500 and G600 models with 10 flight test aircraft logging thousands of flight test hours.
The G500 is expected to gain FAA certification in 2018 and the G600 the following year. The sleek business jets offer intercontinental range at speeds above Mach .90.
Gulfstream is owned by defense contractor General Dynamics and is based in Savannah, Georgia, where it has more than 8,000 of its total 15,000 employees.
There are five G500s flying in the test program, and they've reached a top altitude of 53,000 feet and shown a maximum endurance of more than 10 flight hours.
FAA certification for the G500 is expected early next year.
There are also five G600s flying, and Gulfstream officials said progress is ahead of schedule. The G600 has flown to a maximum 52,000 feet and a top speed of Mach .99.
Both airplanes will have a common type certificate for pilots.
Gulfstream said it's opposed to air traffic control privatization.
"The U.S. has the safest air traffic control system in the world," Burns said. "There needs to be appropriate vetting before a decision of this magnitude is made."
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