Gulfstream’s New G550 Records

Just in time for next month's National Business Aviation Association annual meeting and convention, Gulfstream announced earlier in October some new city-pair speed records for its G550 bizjet. The new flights bring to 18 the total number of records Gulfstream claims. For one of them, a privately owned G550 established a new record between So Paulo, Brazil, and Moscow, Russia. For the other one, between Shanghai in the Peoples Republic of China and Dallas, Texas, a company-owned jet was used. Official recognition of the city-pair speed records by the Fdration Aronautique Internationale (FAI) is pending. There are some 60 examples making up the in-service G550 fleet; collectively they've flown more than 28,000 flight hours and completed some 11,000 takeoffs and landings. For the So Paulo-Moscow flight, the G550 took off at 6:52 p.m. local time on Oct. 2, 2005. It flew 6,511 nm at an average cruise speed of Mach 0.80 and landed 14 hours, 12 minutes later at 4:04 p.m. local time at Vnukovo Airport in Moscow. The G550 had fuel reserves for another 1 hours of flight. Chief Pilot Francisco Lyra served as pilot-in-command and Captain Ivo Martins served as second-in-command. Also onboard were Co-pilot Renato Mattos, who served as first officer, and one passenger. For the Shanghai-Dallas flight on Sept. 29, the jet flew 6,671 nm in 13 hours and 2 minutes. The G550 took off from Shanghai Pudong Airport at 11:36 a.m. local time on Sept. 29 and touched down at Dallas Love Field at 11:39 a.m. local time, the same day. Its average cruise speed also was Mach 0.8. Gulfstream Captain John McGrath served as pilot-in-command, while Gulfstream Senior International Captains Paulo Jancitsky and Skip Wilkerson assisted. Also onboard were Flight Attendant Kim Buckelew and four passengers.