Further G700s join test programme

摘要

THE FLIGHT test campaign for the Gulfstream G700 continues to gain momentum following the first flights of the second and third development aircraft. The third G700 (N703GA, c 87003), known within the company as T3, completed its maiden flight from the manufacturer's facility at Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport in Georgia on May 8, reaching a maximum speed of Mach 0.85 and altitude of 45,000ft during the flight. On the same day Gulfstream announced that the second aircraft (T2, N702GD, c 87002) had initially flown on March 20, spending 2hrs and 58mins airborne. Along with the prototype (N700GA, c 87001), which first flew on February 14 this year, the flight test fleet had accumulated more than 100 hours of flight time by the end of May 8. All three aircraft have been used to expand the flight envelope of the design, which has demonstrated a maximum speed of Mach 0.94 and reached an altitude of 54,000ft. Other tasks that have been undertaken include flutter tests, evaluation of the aircraft's flying qualities, flight controls, environmental control and mechanical systems, as well as flight-into-known-icing conditions. Two more developmental G700s are due to join the flight programme, while a sixth will serve as a production test aircraft.