Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation’s new flagship aircraft, the G650, recently made its first appearance at an air show in China, the Asian Business Aviation Conference and Exhibition (ABACE), held from April 16 to 18 at Shanghai. The ultra-large-cabin, ultra-long-range G650 has demonstrated its capabilities throughout the world. Recently, the G650 added an eighth city-pair record to its 2013 flying resume when the aircraft made its way from Chicago to Beijing in late March. The aircraft left Chicago International Airport with five passengers and four crew onboard. It flew 6,223 nm (11,525 km) at an average speed of Mach 0.87, landing in Beijing 12 hours and 49 minutes later. The city-pair has been submitted to the US National Aeronautic Association (NAA) for confirmation as a record.

The G650’s appearance at ABACE 2013 is part of a world demonstration tour intended to introduce the aircraft to customers. As of mid-April, the G650 has toured 42 locations in 12 countries for more than 180 flying hours. The demonstrator has flown more than 54,500 nm (1,00,934 km) so far this year. The farthest non-stop distance it travelled was 6,475 nm (11,992 km), between Washington, D.C. and Qatar.

The G650 is powered by two of the new Rolls-Royce BR725 engines. It offers the longest range, fastest speed, largest cabin and the most-advanced cockpit in the Gulfstream fleet. The aircraft received a type certificate from the Federal Aviation Administration on September 7, 2012. It is capable of travelling 7,000 nm (12,964 km) at Mach 0.85 or 6,000 nm (11,112 km) at Mach 0.90. Using an advanced aerodynamic design, the G650 has a maximum operating speed of Mach 0.925, making it the fastest certified civilian aircraft. It can climb to a maximum altitude of 51,000 feet (15,545 m), allowing it to avoid airlinetraffic congestion and adverse weather.

Comfort figures prominently in the G650. The unfinished cabin measures 8' 12" (2.59 m) wide and 6' 5" (1.95 m) high, which allows for a longer living area, more seat recline, expanded leg room along with larger galleys, lavatories, storages and crew rest areas. The seven-foot-wide (2.13 m) floor provides for larger seats, wider aisles and the ability to seat three across. The G650 also provides the most comfortable and productive cabin environment. A cabin altitude of 4,850 feet (1,478 m) at FL510 and 2,800 feet (853 m) at FL410 reduces fatigue, while a quieter cabin provides a more comfortable environment for relaxation.

Gulfstream’s ‘cabin essential’ design philosophy means the G650’s major cabin systems have been designed with redundancy so that a single-point failure will not result in the loss of cabin functionality and that means having a toilet that always flushes; water always available; and an entertainment source which always works.

The G650 features the most technologically advanced Planeview II cockpit with a number of enhancements including four 14-inch (36cm) adaptive, liquid-crystal displays; three standard PlaneBook computer tablets; a standby multifunction controller that combines current display controller functionality with standby flight instruments; and fully automatic, three-dimensional scanning weather radar. In addition, the G650 uses the Gulfstream enhanced vision system, the synthetic visionprimary flight display system and head-up display.

The G650 offers a full three-axis fly-by-wire system that delivers several benefits to the user, including flight-envelope protection, increased redundancy and reduced maintenance. To ensure all systems remain at peak performance, the Gulfstream G650 uses PlaneConnect HTM. This aircraft health and trend monitoring system provides near-real-time aircraft condition monitoring by recording up to 10,000 predefined parameters, including high priority crew advisory system (CAS) events and engine health data. The system transmits that information to the operator’s maintenance department with an optional copy to Gulfstream Technical Operations.