Gulfstream G650 completes US coast to coast flight
Gulftsream G650 test aircraft completes West coast to East coast flight in just under 3 hours 30 minutes.
The Gulfstream G650 took off from Bob Hope Airport in Burbank
on 12 January 2011. It arrived at Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport 3
hours and 26 minutes later at 6:47 p.m. local time.
The aircraft was flown at speeds between
Mach 0.91 and 0.92, with a brief segment at the aircraft’s maximum operating
Mach number of 0.925. Its average ground speed was more than 550 knots. Its
maximum ground speed en route was more than 660 knots.
The G650 lifted off with a calculated
balanced field length of less than 4,500 feet (1,372 m) and climbed at Mach
0.85 to a cruising altitude of 43,000 feet (13,196 m), transitioning to Mach
0.91 or above for the remainder of the flight. The aircraft carried 10 people
The aircraft is one of five aircraft
currently flying as part of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and
European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) certification plan. The five aircraft
have accumulated more than 1,200 hours of flight and are on track for
certification in 2011, with entry into service in 2012.
