Gulfstream has announced the successful completion of the first flight of its second G800 test aircraft.
The private jet aviation firm shared the good news on July 17, 2023, and confirmed the G800 flew for three hours and 26 minutes, reaching a top speed of Mach 0.935.
The aircraft flew out of Gulfstream’s Savannah headquarters on July 15, 2023, at 9:27am local time on a 30/70 blend of sustainable aviation fuel.
The flight marks a new phase in the G800’s path to certification and eventually customer deliveries.
“Gulfstream’s flight test team continues to make advanced strides forward for our company,” said Mark Burns, president, Gulfstream. “The G800 will bring the industry’s longest range to customers around the world, and we are seeing strong demand for this capability alongside the cabin comfort and quality Gulfstream is known for.”
The second G800 flight test aircraft is dedicated to environmental control systems, avionics and flight controls and builds on the more than 1,600 test points already accomplished by the first G800 flight test article.
“Thanks to the design philosophy behind our next-generation fleet, the G800 is also benefiting from the excellent progress we continue to make in the Gulfstream G700 flight test program,” Burns said. “This commonality helps us enhance efficiency and reliability for our customers, who are already seeing firsthand how well these aircraft perform.”
The first G800 test plane took off on June 28, 2022, and successfully performed a two-hour flight.
In May, the same G800 made its continental debut in Geneva for the 2023 European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (EBACE2023).
The G800 can fly 8,000 nautical miles/14,816 kilometers at Mach 0.85 and 7,000 nm/12,964 km at Mach 0.90.