Gulfstream Rolls Out the New GV-SP, Stepping Up Competition in High End

Officials of Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation participating in the rollout of the Gulfstream V-SP test article are, foreground from left: Mike Mena, program manager, GV-SP and the Enhanced Vision System; Richard L. Johnson, VP and chief engineer; Pres Henne, senior VP, programs; and Bill Boisture, president and CEO. Flight testing of the GV-SP T1 test article will take place in the fourth quarter of this year.

The latest member of the Gulfstream family, the GV-SP, made a successful first flight on Aug. 31 some four weeks ahead of schedule. It reached Mach 0.8 and 41,000 ft on its 126 minute flight from Savannah, GA.

Engineers and technicians earlier installed the new PlaneView cockpit in the test aircraft and shook down the wiring and software. Drag modifications also were installed on the airplane.

"Development of the new Gulfstream V-SP is on track," said Pres Henne, Gulfstream's senior VP, programs. "The program was excellently planned, well budgeted and adequately staffed. I'm extremely encouraged by the progress we're making."
To date, Gulfstream has received 42 orders for GV-SPs. FAA certification is expected in late 2002, and first deliveries are scheduled for 2003.

The GV-SP program gives the airplane extended range: 6,750 nmi, a 250-nmi improvement over the GV. The GV-SP will be capable of flying 5,000 nmi at Mach 0.87, a 400-nmi advantage over the GV, and 6,000 nmi at Mach 0.85, a 300-nmi increase. Improved takeoff performance, providing greater access to more airports, is the result of greater efficiency of the Rolls-Royce BR710 engines, less drag and
a reduction in the aircraft's empty weight.

But the real improvement over the GV is on the flight deck. The GV-SP's PlaneView cockpit integrates features that include a Honeywell visual guidance system, an enhanced vision system developed by Gulfstream, a cursor control device, and Honeywell's Primus Epic flight instrumentation suite.

The integrated system of advanced avionics provides pilots with real-time information about airports, weather, air traffic and terrain, all displayed on four large landscape format flat -screen monitors. The advancements greatly improve situational awareness for pilots and provide instant access to information necessary to make safe flying decisions in adverse or low-visibility conditions.

The four 14-inch liquid crystal displays provide an extraordinary variety of information to the pilot, including uplinked satellite weather, graphic flight planning and radio tuning, and moving map displays with terrain and territorial boundaries. The displays also show airport symbols, runway orientation, and departure and approach procedures. The displays are menu-driven and directed by a side-mounted Gulfstream Signature cursor control device.

The cursor control device is one of the more interesting aspects of the PlaneView cockpit. It is a Gulfstream design based on human factors evaluations conducted by the company in both laboratory settings and on aircraft testing. The device is a thumb operated joystick that includes an enter switch, display selection and push-to-talk function. The cursor control device will provide GV-SP flight crews with the ability to merge satellite weather, geopolitical borders and terrain in real time. By using the cursor control device, pilots will also be able to make flight plan changes graphically on the screen.

"Combined with the Enhanced Vision System (EVS) and the other improvements we have made, the GV-SP will be the most well-equipped, safest aircraft in business aviation," said Henne.

The EVS, which is undergoing flight testing on its way to expected certification by the third quarter of 2001, incorporates a forward-looking infrared (FLIR) camera, manufactured by Kollsman, that projects an infrared real world image on the pilot's Honeywell HUD. The EVS screen image allows pilots to "see" through fog, rain and darkness. The cryogenically cooled sensor used on the EVS is particularly sensitive to the infrared radiation content of standard runway lights.

To date, Gulfstream has sold about 35 EVS units for retrofit. The first installation on a customer's GV is expected to be completed by the fourth quarter of this year. EVS installations thereafter will occur at the rate of two a month.

-Barry Rosenberg