Gulfstream has mated the wing and fuselage of the first G600 flight test article at its Savannah, Georgia headquarters, as it prepares the clean-sheet, large-cabin business jet for its maiden sortie this year.
The 6,200nm (11,500km)-range Pratt & Whitney Canada PW815GA-powered twin is scheduled to enter service in 2019 – a year behind its shorter-range stablemate the G500, which is also making good progress, according to Gulfstream.
Gulfstream Aerospace
The company's four G500 flight test aircraft have logged over 800h across 195 flights, with T1 focusing on envelope expansion and T2 on flight loads validation and aircraft performance and systems testing. Aircraft T3 recently completed cold-soak testing and is undergoing wing anti-ice systems testing, the airframer says. It is also the testbed for the type’s Symmetry flightdeck, powered by Honeywell's Primus Epic system. The remaining example, T4, is being used to test avionics, flammable fuel drainage, water ingestion and water/waste, lighting and fire-protection systems, adds Gulfstream.
A fifth and final aircraft, P1, is being outfitted at Gulfstream’s completions centre, also in Savannah, and will join the programme shortly. As the first production aircraft, it will be used for interior and cabin systems testing.
The 5,000nm-range G500 is scheduled for US certification and service entry in 2017.
Source: Flight International
