Gulfstream restarts G650 flight tests

Gulfstream has resumed the G650 flight test program, following the
temporary suspension of flying after the 2 April accident with a 1 hour and 39
minutes flight using the first aircraft. The flight took place on 28 May and the crew included senior
experimental test pilots Jake Howard and Tom Horne and flight test engineer
Bill Osborne.

“We have conducted all the
necessary reviews to assure ourselves that we can safely resume the flight-test
program at this point,” said Pres Henne, senior vice president, Programs,
Engineering and Test, Gulfstream. “We have worked closely with the Federal
Aviation Administration in this process and received the agency’s concurrence
to resume flight testing. It is our responsibility to move forward with the
flight-test program, and we will do so in a safe and prudent manner. The G650
will enter service as the flagship of our product line, where it will represent
the very best in business aviation technology.”

To date, the G650 flight test
program has accomplished 470 flights, accumulating 1,560 hours towards the
estimated 2,200 hours required for certification.

Gulfstream resumed flying
with the four remaining flight-test aircraft. The company still anticipates
certification in 2011, with service entry in 2012, as was originally planned at
the aircraft’s public launch in 2008. The company continues to cooperate with
the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) in its investigation.