G650

In fact the 650 will have the niche to itself, in this the most lucrative end of the corporate jet market, until either Bombardier, Dassault or even Embraer decide to follow suit with a 7000nm range (with eight passengers aboard) business jet of their own. When the 650 goes into service in 2012 it will be the longest range purpose built business jet in production. The aircraft’s US$58. 5 million price tag isn’t putting off potential buyers either – far from it, and depending on who you believe, the company has orders/letters of intent for over 500 so far, which is totally unprecedented for an aircraft of this size and cost.

Gulfstream originally planned to produce 83 G650s in the first two and half years of production, but has already had to revise this number which is “over-subscribed by a factor of six or seven” says parent company General Dynamics.

First flight is scheduled for the second half of 2009.

Based on the aircraft development schedule, the company projects it will receive US FAA type certification and validation by EASA in 2011.

So why are potential buyers queuing in the aisles? Well, the large cabin, long range, business jet market has been booming, fuelled by many corporations and self made billionaires, particularly from Russia, India, China, and the Middle East. The G650 offers the longest range, fastest speed, largest cabin and most advanced cockpit in the Gulfstream fleet, says Gulfstream. It is capable of travelling 7000nm at 0. 85 Mach or 5000nm at 0. 90 Mach. Using an advanced aerodynamic design, the aircraft has a maximum operating speed of 0. 925 Mach, which will make it the fastest civil aircraft flying. It can climb to a maximum altitude of 51,000ft, allowing it to avoid airline traffic congestion and adverse weather.

It’s surprising how close the external dimensions of the G650 are to its nearest competitor, the Bombardier Global XRS. Although the G650’s performance has yet to be wrung out in the real world, its predicted extra 850nm out of roughly the same sized pot is pretty impressive. For the record the G650’s overall external statistics are 30. 4m long, wing span (over winglets) of 30. 4m, and a height of 7. 7m. This makes the G650 just 5cm longer, 15cm taller and 1. 5m wider in span than the Global XRS.

Part of the secret is the G650s pair of all new lean and green Rolls-Royce BR725 turbofans. They are rated at 16,000lb (71. 2kN) of thrust for takeoff, whereas both the current Gulfstream 550 and the Global XRS are powered by a pair of slightly less powerful RR BR710s.

The BR725s are manufactured by Rolls-Royce Germany, and the engine features a 127cm swept fan with 24 blades for improved flow, increased efficiency, reduced noise, lower emissions, and even more imporphototantly in these times of record high level fuel prices, has “fuel-burn levels comparable to those of smaller aircraft,” claims Gulfstream.

The BR725, in combination with the new, high efficiency thrust-reverser system and an all-new aerodynamically optimised wing, means the G650 can meet the latest takeoff certification requirements, has excellent hot and high performance, and offers outstanding intercontinental range. For example, it will be able to travel the 6370nm from Dubai to Chicago 88 minutes faster than existing long range jets. It should shave 31 minutes off the 4788nm trip from Los Angeles to London and 50 minutes off the 5932nm trip from New York to Tokyo.

Gulfstream has widened the cabin of its new aircraft by 36cm, changed the old circular cabin cross section to that of a more flattened oval which gives extra internal cabin width and 8cm more height. The cabin is the largest in a purpose built corporate jet to date – the larger BBJs and ACJs of course being airliner derivatives.

The G650 is the first Gulfstream to feature fly-by-wire controls, making it only the second purpose built corporate jet (Dassault’s Falcon 7X was the first) to have this method of control.

It won’t be side-stick operated like the 7X and Airbus airliners, but will feature a conventional looking yoke more in line with Embraer’s E-Jet fly-by-wire airliner family and their corporate derivative, the Lineage 1000.

The full three-axis fly-bywire system will deliver a number of benefits to the user, including flight envelope protection, increased redundancy and reduced maintenance.

The system is the result of extensive testing in Gulfstream’s Advanced Flight Controls program, where designers and engineers have been flight testing advanced signalling and actuation on a GV aircraft. Those efforts led to a redundant fly-by-wire system that exceeds certification requirements. The system features a quadruple redundant flight control computer system for commanding all flight control surfaces. In addition, the system has a separate and dedicated backup flight control computer that provides an additional level of safety.

G650s will be produced in the recently completed 28,615m2 Gulfstream manufacturing facility in Savannah.

The aircraft’s fuselage employs all new structural design and manufacturing processes, including bonded skin panels, machined frames and precision assembly. These new methods not only improve aircraft quality, fit and finish, they also reduce assembly time and the need for an extensive parts supply, says Gulfstream. For example, the G650’s new window design is 16 per cent larger but uses 78 per cent fewer parts, thereby reducing assembly time by 57 per cent. This streamlined manufacturing cycle is also better for the environment, says Gulfstream, as it consumes less energy.

The aircraft’s construction will be largely aluminium for the wings and fuselage, but will incorporate more composites than in previous models. Gulfstream claims that the aircraft’s parts count will be 50 per cent fewer than that of the G550 by using larger CNC-milled components.

Like Dassault with its Falcon 7X, Gulfstream plans to extensively use robot riveters to cut down labour costs.

The FlightDeck

The G650 features the most technologically advanced PlaneView II cockpit with a number of enhancements including: four 36cm, adaptive liquid crystal displays; three standard PlaneBook computer tablets; a smaller pedestal; a standby multifunction controller that combines current display controller functionality with standby flight instruments; and a fully automatic, three-dimensional scanning weather radar with an integral terrain database for efficient ground clutter elimination.

In addition, the aircraft will use state-of-the-art vision systems to improve pilot situational awareness and flight safety. These standard systems include the Gulfstream Enhanced Vision System (EVS II), the Synthetic Vision-Primary Flight Display (SV-PFD) system and heads-up display (HUD II).

Gulfstream is the first Part 25 original equipment manufacturer (OEM) to provide its customers with both enhanced and synthetic vision systems.

Kollsman (EVS II), Honeywell (SV-PFD) and Rockwell Collins (HUD II) are major suppliers to Gulfstream on these three systems.

Working in concert, the EVS II and SV-PFD providepilots with a clearer view of the terrain, obstacles and approaches, regardless of the weather conditions outside the cockpit. EVS uses a forward looking infrared (FLIR) camera to capture real-world vision and project them on the pilot’s all-digital HUD, while the SV-PFD uses three-dimensional, colour terrain images that are derived from data stored in the Honeywell EGPWS.

Because the G650 flightdeck has the same basic layout as the G550, the pilot type rating for the G650 is expected to be the same as the GV and the other in-production, large cabin Gulfstream business jets, with minimal differences in training.

The Cabin

Not surprisingly, comfort figures prominently in the G650. The unfinished aircraft cabin measures 2. 59m wide and 1. 95m high by approximately 16. 3m long, making it the largest purpose built business jet cabin. The extra space allows for a longer living area, more seat recline, expanded leg room and increased stateroom capabilities as well as larger galleys, lavatories, storage and crew rest areas. A 2. 13m wide floor provides for larger seats, wider aisles and the ability to seat three across.

It will have a cabin 3. 5m longer than that of the Global XRS, the largest current purpose built business jet in production and 3m longer (and 28 per cent greater cabin volume) than its own G550.

The G650 will provide a comfortable and productive cabin environment and with a cabin altitude of 4850ft at FL510 and 2800ft at FL410. This reduces fatigue, increases mental alertness and enhances productivity. A quieter cabin provides a more comfortable environment for conversation or relaxation.

The aircraft’s advanced environmental control system will feature quieter air distribution and independently vented toilets. The new cabin windows, 16 in total, measuring 71 x 52cm, are the largest in the industry and provide for more natural light.

Gulfstream’s ‘Cabin Essential’ design philosophy means all of the G650’s major cabin systems have been designed with redundancy so a single-point failure will not result in the loss of cabin functionality. That means a toilet always flushes, water is always available, and an entertainment source always works, says the company.

All this attention to detail becomes more important as you realise that the aircraft will be capable of 15 hour non-stop flights, so amongst the various cabin layouts available, the most popular will likely be the version with five or six flat bed positions.

The G650’s wing is a flying fuel tank and stores 100 per cent of the aircraft’s 20,065kg of fuel. The G650 retains the G550’s heated fuel return system but adds a new fuel quantity monitoring system (FQMS).

This uses a new distributed architecture with redundancy to maintain fuel quantity indication in the event of any single sensor failure.

Additionally, the electronically controlled refuelling feature automatically adjusts to provide accurate refuelling under varying fuel temperature conditions.

To ensure all systems remain at peak performance, the G650 uses Gulfstream’s PlaneConnect program, a maintenance link that automatically transmits aircraft maintenance information to the customer’s operations department with an optional copy to Gulfstream Technical Operations. This data can then be analysed to identify systems condition status. It also allows for fast maintenance turnaround times.

Fifty years after the original Gulfstream I turboprop first flew, it’s clear Gulfstream is again seizing the opportunity to build the world’s most advanced corporate jet.

It looks likely, both literally and figuratively, that the G650 will go a long way.