Gulfstream Advances the G700 Flight Test Program

The all-new Gulfstream G700 business jet surpasses speed and altitude limits during recent testing.

Testing of the new Gulfstream G700 is well underway since the jet was revealed in October 2019. With Gulfstream boasting the industry’s most spacious cabin with the highest speeds at the longest range, they have now revealed the flight-test program is making significant progress with a number of accomplishments in testing and performance.

The G700 has chalked up over 100 test flights and recently completed Gulfstream’s flutter testing.  Aeroelastic flutter is basically when a dangerous vibration begins to occur during flight, usually in the wings or tail, which often results in structural failure. High-speed aircraft are most susceptible to flutter, and especially with the introduction of thinner wings, all-movable horizontal and vertical stabilizers, and T-tail configurations, the likelihood of flutter occurring within a desired flight envelope increases further.

G700 Flight Tests Exceeding Expectations

During the G700’s testing, Gulfstream were able to expand the flight envelope (the design capabilities of the jet) at both high and low speeds. The G700 business jet flew beyond its maximum operating speed and cruise altitude, reaching Mach 0.99 and an altitude of 54,000 feet/16,459 meters. In typical operations, the G700 has a maximum operating speed of Mach 0.925 and a maximum cruise altitude of 51,000 ft/15,545 m. The testing showing that the all-new G700 has not only met its specs but truly surpassed them as well.

“These accomplishments at this stage in flight test point to the impressive maturity of the G700 program,” said Mark Burns, president of Gulfstream. “We designed and developed the G700 for our customers to fly safely, securely and efficiently while enjoying the same level of comfort as they do on the ground. With the largest galley in the industry, the utmost in technology, and the finest, freshest cabin environment, the G700 unlocks new opportunities in business jet travel.”

G700 Circadian Lighting System

The all-new G700 business jet features 100% fresh, never recirculated air, an industry-leading low cabin altitude, whisper-quiet noise levels, and the option for the industry’s only true circadian lighting system that attempts to counteract the onset of jetlag.

The circadian lighting concept follows that of the human circadian rhythm which is a person’s internal 24-hour clock. The hypothalamus in the brain controls each person’s circadian rhythm by receiving signals from the eyes that report when it’s daytime and night time. The hypothalamus, in turn, controls the amount of melatonin released to correlate sleepiness with darkness and alertness with lightness.

How Circadian Lighting Works

As the eyes play a fundamental part to this process, light can be manipulated in the following three ways to hack the brain from experiencing time zone disruptions:

• 1. Adjusting brightness and intensity with controlled dimming to correlate with a particular time of day.
• 2. Adjusting the color temperature of lights. We experience cooler color temperatures (ranging from 4000K up to about 10,000K) when the sun is highest in the sky and people are typically most alert during the day. Therefore, cooler color temps are used in spaces when it’s appropriate to promote alertness and attention. Warmer color temperatures (ranging from < 2700K to 3500K) represent daylight hours when the sun is rising and setting and when people are falling asleep or waking up
• 3. Stimulus tuning (replacing the “bad blue” light wavelengths with “good blue”).

Other features of the G700 cabin include 20 Gulfstream panoramic oval windows in up to five living areas, the Gulfstream exclusive Ultragalley floor plan option that provides more than 10 ft/3 m of counter space, as well as a master suite floor plan option with a stand-up shower.

The G700 is powered by Rolls-Royce Pearl 700 engines and can fly at its high-speed cruise of Mach 0.90 for 6,400 nautical miles/11,853 kilometers or at its long-range cruise of Mach 0.85 for 7,500 nm/13,890 km. The G700 also includes the Gulfstream Symmetry Flight Deck™ with the industry’s only electronically linked active control sidesticks; the most extensive use of touch-screen technology in business aviation; and Gulfstream’s award-winning Predictive Landing Performance System.