Our guys from P1 Business Aviation Magazine were in Savannah for the unveiling of the new Gulfstream G500 & G600 jets this week, and they managed not only to see the first G500 up close but also to have a look around the inside.
We speak with Gulfstream VP of Communications Steve Cass, who tells us more about these two jets and the philosophy behind them.
The two all-new designs draw on much of the learning gathered during the development and production of the giant G650, so the new models feature fly-by-wire, a new super efficient wing – built in-house – and cabins with a huge focus on quiet, low cabin altitude, and lots of light.
The avionics suite is new too, called Gulfstream Symmetry, and features numerous bright and large touch-control screens and other advances aimed at reducing pilot workload.
The new models are a step up from the existing G450 and G550 models, and neatly fill the gap between those and the $65m G650.
The $43.5m G500 has a maximum range of 5000nm at Mach 0.85, 3800nm at M0.9, and a max speed of M0.925 (610mph) – the same max speed as the G650. First flight is expected in 2015, EIS in 2018.
The larger $54.5m G600 has a max range of 6200nm at M0.85, 4800nm at M0.9, and also a max speed of M0.925. Its dates are around 12-18 months after the G500.
