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Gulfstream Launches Systems Testing With First
G600 Iron Bird Flight |
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February 23, 2016 - Gulfstream Aerospace Corp.
today announced that the Gulfstream G600 iron
bird recently completed its “first flight,”
demonstrating the company’s continued commitment
to research and development and the growing
maturity of the G600 aircraft program.
A spatially correct, dimensionally accurate
structure that includes a flight deck, the iron
bird allows engineers to test the flight control
and mechanical systems, including landing gear,
brakes and hydraulics in a ground-based lab.
During the 30-minute flight, the G600 iron bird
simulated taxi, takeoff and landing as well as
maneuvers and transitions at altitude and
airspeed.
“This first flight sets in motion the testing
and validation required for the G600’s actual
first flight,” said
Dan
Nale, senior vice president,
Programs, Engineering and Test, Gulfstream.
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“With the iron bird, we can confirm the
characteristics of the system components,
improve the integration maturity, make
modifications and provide those benefits in a
lab environment, all while on the ground and
still in the design stage to the benefit of the
flight-test aircraft. Having this resource
enhances safety and streamlines the testing
process.”
The G600 is capable of traveling 6,200 nautical
miles/11,482 kilometers at Mach 0.85 or 4,800
nm/8,890 km at Mach 0.90. Its maximum operating
speed is Mach 0.925, the same speed as
Gulfstream’s G650 and G650ER. The
aircraft features the all-new Symmetry Flight
Deck, with active control sidesticks, integrated
touch screen controllers, a next-generation
enhanced vision system and Honeywell Primus Epic
avionics.
Similar to the G650 and G650ER, the G600 offers
a full three-axis digital fly-by-wire system
with benefits that include flight-envelope
protection, stability augmentation, increased
redundancy and reduced maintenance. The first
G600 flight-test aircraft and structural test
article are in production. The aircraft is
scheduled to enter service in 2019. |
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