Simply Abu Dhabi XXVII

Tell us about the G600 programme? The G600 programme is going extremely well. We recently witnessed the first flight of the first fully outfitted G600, an aircraft that will serve as a cabin testbed to ensure a superior customer experience. The aircraft was the fifth to join the G600 flight-test programme since it began in December 2016. In terms of the test programme itself, the G600 has achieved a programme-best 13-hour and 5- minute flight, reached a maximum speed of Mach 0.995 and has flown to a maximum altitude of 54,000ft. Gulfstream anticipates receiving Federal Aviation Administration-type certification for the G600 in 2018, with customer deliveries scheduled for later that year. The aviation market is being driven by customer demands to fly faster, for longer, with fewer stops – is this sustainable? The GulfstreamG650ER really sets the standard when you consider customers’ demands to fly faster, longer with fewer stops. With a range of 7,500Nm, the G650ER can whisk passengers almost anywhere in the world non-stop. So, we’ve largely accomplished the range objective. What’s left is speed. You can’t buy time, which is why speed is so important. It amplifies the strategic value of business aviation. Since the G650 and G650ER have entered service, we’ve realised that our customers prefer flying fast and routinely fly their G650 at Mach 0.90, which offers significant time savings. Do you collaborate with any high-end designers to create luxury interiors for your aircraft? Gulfstream has a highly trained and well regarded team of interior designers that works with customers around the world to create aircraft interiors that exceed their expectations. Together, that team has 419 total years of design industry experience that they leverage to create luxury interiors for our customers. In fact, the Gulfstream design studio was recently recognised with an International Yacht & Aviation Design Award for the interior design of the four-living-area G650ER. What challenges and/or limitations are imposed on interior design? Outside of weight considerations, there are endless interior design possibilities. What could be done better in the world of business aviation? I think advocacy is an important element of our industry and it’s something we could all do better. I firmly believe it’s important that we serve as advocates, using our words, reputation and, ultimately, our actions to create a long range, positive view of an industry that employs more than 1.1 million people and has an economic impact in the billions. How much time does Gulfstream invest in R&D? Thanks to our parent company General Dynamics, we invest for the long term, dedicating a consistent flow of resources to researching and developing new aircraft, new technologies and new services that provide value to our customers. We have a team of more than 1,750 engineers working in our R&D centre campus, home to several of our ground-based labs, including those for the G500 and G600 programmes. The investment we’ve made in the labs for the G500 and G600 is the most significant we’ve made to date, and those investments are paying off. Even before the G500 and G600 left the ground, Gulfstream had spent more than 30,000 hours testing the aircraft in the ground-based labs. As a result, the aircraft are performing flawlessly during flight tests. These innovative aircraft, which feature the first active control sidesticks, system-integrated touchscreens and data concentration network in business aviation, will continue to set the standard. What do clients expect when they fly on a Gulfstream? As I said earlier, you are what your record says you are. Our brand reputation means everything to us. Each and every employee of Gulfstream is united behind a common purpose. We understand that details matter and that strong work ethic is pervasive across our company. We are distinguished by our commitment to our customers. When flying on a Gulfstream, customers recognise the quality, safety and reliability inherent in every Gulfstream. When combined with our first-rate worldwide product support network, it’s easy to understand why we are the market leader. Customers know that we build the best aircraft in business aviation, and that we stand behind the aircraft we build. 5 9 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I