Gulfstream G550 Sets Records with Around-the-World
Flight
Gulfstream Aerospace's G550 ultra-long-range business jet (Booth
2783) has set four new city-to-city speed records during a five-day
around-the-world flight that began in Savannah on September 28
and ended in Orlando last Friday. The aircraft, carrying Gulfstream
executives and friends, logged 41.2 flight hours and covered a
distance of 20,120 miles at an average speed of 486 kts. The aircraft
is on static display at NBAA this week.
Flown in five legs, the G550 flight crews established four new
records between Savannah and Ankara, Turkey (5,208 nmi in 10 hr
35 min); Ankara and Langkawi, Malaysia (4,300 nmi in 8 hr 45 min);
Brunei and Seoul, South Korea (2,240 nmi in 4 h 48 min); and Seoul
to Orlando (7,301 nmi in 14 h 30 min). At 1,050 nmi, the third
leg from Langkawi to Brunei was not considered long enough to
establish a speed record.
The first three legs were flown by Gulfstream's captain and chief
demonstration pilot, Bill Watters; senior engineering test pilot,
Al Moros, and demonstration pilot Ray Wellington. The remaining
legs were flown by Roc Miles, Gulfstream's director of demonstration
and corporate flight operations, Tom Horne, senior experimental
test pilot and G550 project pilot and Tony Briotta, demonstration
pilot. Watters was onboard the aircraft for the entire flight,
which included stops at airshows in Ankara and Langkawi where
the G550 was put on static display. The world tour commenced only
one week after the aircraft had been delivered to its new owner.
