Gulfstream Aerospace appears to be moving its clean-sheet G500/G600 program at Mach speeds. The Savannah, Georgia-based luxury bizjet maker launched the G500 on its first flight out of the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport in May, merely seven months after Gulfstream first announced its new technologically advanced product line. All primary flight control systems were exercised during the first flight, which lasted two hours and 16 minutes. Systems were checked using the Symmetry touch-screen flight deck, the Gulfstream-branded avionics panel based on Honeywell's Primus Epic. The test pilots evaluated handling qualities in the takeoff and landing configurations, and completed a simulated approach and a go-around at altitude. The max altitude for the flight was 15,000 feet and the top speed 194 knots, a gentle step toward the targeted max cruise speed of Mach 0.90.
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