SECOND PROTOTYPE OF GULFSTREAM G800 AIRBORN

Gulfstream Aerospace continues its flight test program for its latest business jet, the G800. Last week, the second prototype completed its maiden flight.

The twin-engine ultra-long-range aircraft flew from Gulfstream's headquarters at Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport (KSAV) in Georgia and remained airborne for 3 hours and 26 minutes, using a 30% blend of sustainable aviation fuel. During the flight, it reached a maximum speed of 0.935 Mach.

According to Gulfstream, the second G800 will be used to evaluate environmental control systems, avionics, and flight control surfaces.

The American manufacturer announced its new program in the fall of 2021, with plans to involve three G800s in the flight testing. The G800 offers customers the highest range in Gulfstream's fleet – 8,000 nautical miles (14,816 km) at a speed of 0.85 Mach and 7,000 nautical miles (12,964 km) at a speed of 0.90 Mach. Equipped with Rolls-Royce Pearl 700 engines with enhanced thrust and the wing and winglets developed for the G700, the new G800 also boasts increased fuel efficiency and extended city-pair connections worldwide. It accommodates up to 19 passengers and offers either four living zones or three living zones with a crew compartment.

The G800 features the Gulfstream Symmetry flight deck with electronically linked active side sticks – a first in the industry – and the widest use of touch-screen technology with ten displays.

Additional health and safety enhancements include 100% fresh air with no recirculation or re-filtering, the lowest cabin altitude in its class, a plasma ionization air purification system that neutralizes 99.9% of bacteria, spores, and odors, and an award-winning Predictive Landing Performance System (PLPS) that provides pilots with early warnings of potential deviations from the runway so they can make corrections or go around.

The G800's two projection displays utilize Gulfstream's new Combined Vision System (CVS), which merges an enhanced Enhanced Flight Vision System (EFVS) and a Synthetic Vision System (SVS) into one image, enhancing pilots' situational awareness and providing access to a greater number of airports worldwide.