Gulfstream Aerospace is a leading name in the highly competitive world of jet business aircraft manufacturing. Recently, the company has revealed the latest aircraft with which it aims to solidify its position in the industry: the G500 and G600.
Conditions inside de airplanes are some of the best you’ll find in any commercial airplane. The cabin environment is pressurized to the lowest cabin altitude on the market (flying at over 50,000 feet, passengers will feel like they’re on the ground at less than 5,000 feet) and the air is replenished every two minutes. The comfortable seats, the very quiet environment, and the large oval windows letting in an abundance of natural light also do their part to greatly enhance the flight experience.
Pilots will benefit from the state-of-the-art cockpit which heavily relies on touchscreen technology, eliminating switches and replacing them with soft keys on 10 interchangeable touchscreens. Due to the electronic linking of the ACSs (Active Control Sidesticks), the pilot and co-pilot can have a better sense of each other’s control inputs, improving the coordination between them.
Both the G500 and the G600 can reach a high cruise speed of 0.90 Mach, which can save up to an hour per flight when compared to flying at 0.80 Mach. The jets are powered by versions of the new Pratt & Whitney Canada PW800 series engine. This means better fuel efficiency, fewer emissions, and less engine noise. Also, the PW800 has a 10,000-hour time between overhaul with no midlife inspection, with further improves operating efficiency.
Gulfstream will manufacture the new G500 and G600 at two new purpose-built facilities in Savannah, Georgia. The former’s first flight is expected to take place sometime in 2015, while the latter will only begin test flights in the next couple of years and will be fully operational by 2019.
