Gulfstream: More Range For G650

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Gulfstream said at NBAA’s Annual Meeting and Convention in Orlando on Monday that its ultra-large-cabin G650, which was FAA certified last month, will have longer range at high speeds and shorter takeoff distances than formerly announced. The aircraft’s range at its high-speed cruise of Mach 0.90 is now 6,000 nautical miles, the company said. The original target was 5,000 nm. The change means a 6,000-nm mission flown by the G650 at Mach 0.90 would be 40 minutes faster than the same mission flown by a G550, said Pres Henne, senior vice president for engineering at Gulfstream.

The company also said the aircraft’s takeoff balanced field length is 5,858 feet at maximum takeoff weight, exceeding the original target of 6,000 feet. Gulfstream also noted that the G650’s maximum cruise speed of Mach 0.925 makes it the fastest certified civilian aircraft in production, a place it wrested from Cessna’s Citation X. Cessna, however, said this summer that it plans to re-take that title with the upgraded Citation X, which will max out at Mach 0.935. The G650 is expected to start deliveries later this year; Cessna’s upgrade of the X won’t be ready until the middle of next year.

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