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Signs point to Bombardier response to Gulfstream G650

Bombardier is under commercial pressure to launch a new flagship business jet to rival the Gulfstream G650 as the world’s industry descends on what is the key event for the leading large-bizjet-buying region. With its significant range advantage, the G650 looks to be set to beat Bombardier’s leading model–the Global Express XRS– hands down when it enters service in 2012. The Gulfstream airplane has already attracted orders for more than 200 units and is expected to make its first flight before the end of this year.

Eager to react to rumors of an imminent launch, Bombardier CEO Pierre Beaudoin recently indicated that the company may launch a model to counter the G650, but did not indicate a timescale. Some believe it could be as soon as the first quarter of next year, if the company can keep its plans under wraps in Dubai this week. Beaudoin was speaking to reporters at a recent briefing at the company’s headquarters in Montreal, Canada, when he said he was adamant that Bombardier would definitely position itself to compete with Gulfstream.

Speaking to AIN at the Dubai Airshow, Bombardier regional v-p-sales for the Middle East and Africa, Khader Mattar, said, “It is not a brilliant time for new orders, but Bombardier is committed to investing in its aircraft.” While pointing to the new Signature cabin for the Learjet 60, the new Learjet 85 model, the extended-range Learjet 40XR, plus the new Global Vision flight deck for its larger aircraft, he also acknowledged that some customers just want the best. “Everybody wants the best deal, but at the same time they want the best facility and support,” Mattar added.

A comparison between the Global XRS and Gulfstream 650 shows why Bombardier might be concerned. The XRS, which entered service in 2006 and is based on a Global 5000 with additional wing-root fuel tanks, has a maximum range with eight passengers and four crew of 6,150 nm at Mach 0.85. The G650, due to enter service in 2012, is expected to offer a range of 7,000 nm, with the same number of passengers and crew. It is also expected to achieve a maximum operating Mach number of 0.925, which would ease out the Cessna Citation X as the fastest business jet, as well as the fastest operational civil airplane, since the Concorde no longer flies.

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The first Gulfstream G650, dubbed T1 for test aircraft one, achieved its maiden flight this afternoon, though it was cut short due to “slight vibrations” in one of the gear doors. A Gulfstream spokeswoman told AIN that the flight was intended to last for about an hour; nevertheless, the G650’s 12-minute flight is still considered a full-fledged success by the Savannah, Ga.-based aircraft manufacturer.
T1 lifted off from Savannah International Airport at 1:41 p.m. EST with veteran Gulfstream test pilots Jake Howard and Tom Horne at the controls; flight engineer Bill Osborne was also aboard. Despite its short time in the air, the test aircraft reached 6,600 feet and 170 knots and its “flight controls and characteristics performed as expected,” according to Gulfstream.
The spokeswoman said G650 test flights will resume after Thanksgiving. FAA certification of the G650 is expected in 2011, followed by entry into service in 2012.

Na endlich!

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Gulfstream's flagship G650 successfully completed its first flight Wednesday, despite a vibration that curtailed the flight.
"Systems were fully operational. The aircraft achieved an altitude of 6,600 feet and a speed of 170 knots. Flight controls and characteristics performed as expected," Pres Henne, Gulfstream senior vice president, Programs, Engineering and Test, said in a news release. "We consider this flight a success and look forward to pursuing our full flight-test plan."
Flown by experimental test pilot Jake Howard and senior experimental test pilot Tom Horne, the G650 took off from Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport at 1:41 p.m. local time with flight engineer Bill Osborne on board, Gulfstream said. "Because pilots were alerted to a slight vibration in a landing-gear door, they curtailed the testing regimen as a precautionary measure. The aircraft landed 12 minutes later."
The G650 is capable of carrying 11 to 18 passengers 7,000 nautical miles at 0.85 Mach, with a maximum operating speed of 0.925 Mach, and can climb to a maximum altitude of 51,000 feet, according to Gulfstream. At maximum takeoff weight, it can depart from a 6,000-foot runway.

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Was kostet die Kiste eigentlich?

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Gulfstream G650 test flight called success
SAVANNAH, Ga., Dec. 5 (UPI) -- The large-cabin, long-range Gulfstream G650 business jet has successfully completed its first series of flight tests, company officials say.

Pres Henne, a Gulfstream Aerospace senior vice president, said Friday in Savannah, Ga., that G650 project pilot Jake Howard, senior experimental test pilot Tom Horne and flight engineer Bill Osborne conducted a successful 1-hour, 45-minute flight to gauge the aircraft's handling qualities, engine performance and flap operation.

Henne said the crew also evaluated the aircraft's pilot-static systems, avionics, hydraulic systems, electrical power generation and distribution, flight controls, cabin environmental and pressurization controls at intended airspeeds of up to 275 mph and desired altitudes of up to 9,500 feet.

"The pilots' reports indicate that the G650's flying qualities were outstanding,"

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A quick first flight for the G650 the day before Thanksgiving was terminated after 12 minutes to check out a vibrating gear door, but now Gulfstream has relaunched its biggest ship for a thorough wringing-out by the test crew. The company said last week the jet now has flown for an hour and 45 minutes, at speeds up to 240 knots and altitudes up to 9,500 feet. The crew checked handling qualities, pitot-static systems, avionics, hydraulic systems, electrical power generation and distribution, flight controls, and cabin environmental and pressurization controls. "The pilots' reports indicate that the G650's flying qualities were outstanding," said Pres Henne, senior vice president of programs, engineering and test at Gulfstream. The jet is on target for certification in 2011, he said, by both FAA and EASA, with entry into service in 2012.

Throughout the flight, Gulfstream technicians on the ground monitored real-time data using a new telemetry system configured to downlink more than 2,000 different parameters, the company said. The complete G650 flight-test and certification plan will involve five aircraft and more than 1,800 hours of testing. The airplane will be capable of a 7,000-nm range at 0.85 Mach and has a maximum operating speed of 0.925 Mach. Click here for a video of the first flight.

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FAA Issues G650 Engine Type Certificate
Rolls-Royce announced on Dec. 23 that the FAA-issued an FAR Part 33 Type Certificate (TC) for the 16,100-pound-thrust BR725 turbofan that powers the 7,000 nm, 0.85 Mach Gulfstream 650 now undergoing flight tests.
The FAA TC follows type certification in June by the European Aviation Safety Administration. Rolls-Royce now has secured TC approvals for the BR725 from the world's two leading airworthiness authorities, thus significantly reducing G650 program development risks and assuring that the engines will be mature when the aircraft enters service in 2012.
The engine is an evolutionary development of the BR710 that powers the Gulfstream G500 and G550. It is fitted with a new 50-inch diameter, swept blade fan. It features a compressor with improved aerodynamics, low-emissions combustor and a more efficient turbine section. Compared to BR710, BR725 has 3.5-percent better specific fuel consumption, a 17-percent reduction in nitrous oxide emissions and it emits 50 percent less visible smoke.

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Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. (Savannah, Ga., USA) a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics, announced on Feb. 26 that a second ultra-large-cabin, ultra-long-range, composites-intensive Gulfstream G650 has completed its first flight.

The second test article, known as T2, took off from Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport at 12:50 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 25, with senior experimental test pilots Gary Freeman and Scott Buethe in the cockpit. The aircraft flew for 2 hours, 33 minutes, reaching an altitude of 37,000 ft/11,278m and a speed of Mach 0.80 before landing back in Savannah.
In a company first, both G650 flight-test aircraft — T2 and T1 — were airborne simultaneously and were tracked by dual telemetry facilities in real time. "T2 performed extremely well during the initial tests of its integrated flight control system and handling," said Pres Henne, senior vice president, Programs, Engineering and Test, Gulfstream. "We plan to make half a dozen flights to assess basic system functionality before proceeding to more intensive testing.""The conditions were very gusty and blustery, yet T2, like T1, handled great," said Freeman. "To control the aircraft precisely requires small, light control input from the pilot. Itís an easy jet to fly."

The G650 flight-test and certification plan involves five aircraft and an estimated 1,800 hours of testing. Each aircraft is used for a specific series of tests, with T1 focused on performance and flight controls, T2 on systems and T3 on avionics. The two production aircraft in the test program, P1 and P2, will be used to evaluate the interior systems and reduced vertical separation minimums (RVSMs), respectively.
T1, which spent approximately six hours in the air on Thursday, has completed 18 flights over more than 43 hours. The aircraft has reached a maximum speed of Mach 0.90 and a top altitude of 47,000 ft/14,326m. Test pilots are progressively opening the flight envelope in conjunction with load testing of a ground-test airframe designated S6.

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Nach Angaben von Gulfstream geht es im Flugtestprogramm beim G650 planmässig vorwärts.
Der neuste Business Jet für ultra Langstrecken von Gulfstream ist am 25. November 2009 mit seinem ersten Flug ins Flugtestprogramm eingestiegen. Der Jungfernflug dauerte lediglich zwölf Minuten, da sich Vibrationen einstellten, die von einer Fahrwerktür herrührten. Am 4. Dezember war die Maschine erneut beim Fliegen zu sehen, da Gulfstream rasch eine Zwischenlösung für das kleine Problem finden konnte. Für das Flugtestprogramm wird Gulfstream fünf Maschinen einsetzen und plant für die Zulassungsflüge mehr als 1.800 Flugstunden ein. Am 25. Februar 2010 startete Prototyp G650 T2 in Savannah zu seinem Jungfernflug, am Steuer sassen die Testpiloten Gary Freeman und Scott Buethe. Der Testflug dauerte zwei Stunden und dreiunddreissig Minuten, die Piloten stiegen mit T2 auf eine Höhe von 37.000 Fuss und erreichten bereits eine Geschwindigkeit von Mach 0,8. Prototyp Nummer T1 hat bereits 18 Flüge hinter sich gebracht und war mehr als 43 Stunden in der Luft. Die Maschine wurde während dem Testflugprogramm auf eine Höhe von 47.000 Fuss (14.300 m) geflogen und erreichte eine maximale Geschwindigkeit von Mach 0,9. Prototyp Nummer drei befindet sich auf der Endfertigungsstrasse und das erste Serienflugzeug SN6004 ist auch in einem fortgeschrittenen Produktionsstadium. Die Zulassung des G650 wird für 2012 erwartet