G650 Captures Collier

Here is a bit more in-depth story on the G650 winning the Collier Trophy....enjoy!

 

(Michael Carter - APF Editor )

When Gulfstream Aerospace announced the ultra long-range G650 business jet in March 2008, the company promised buyers a new standard of capability.

In the two years the aircraft has been in production, customers in the market for a large-cabin jet have shown a strong preference for the G650, citing attributes ranging from reliability to fuel efficiency, but there may be no better validation of what the G650 truly represents than its designation by the National Aeronautics Association this week as the 2014 Robert J. Collier Trophy winner.

A selection committee of 30 individuals from across the aviation and aerospace industry chose the G650 from a field that included six other nominees. In a joint statement, the committee said Gulfstream’s development of the G650 “strengthened business aviation through significant technological advancements in aircraft performance, cabin comfort and safety.”

The G650 is the only large-cabin business aircraft currently in production that can fly 7,000 nm and land with NBAA (National Business Aviation Association) IFR reserves. It has the highest pressurization, largest cabin cross-section and biggest cabin windows of any purpose-built business jet in production. Ambient sound levels average in the mid- to upper-40 dBA range while cruising at Mach 0.88, according to many operators.

Other nominees for the 2014 Collier Trophy were:

• Alan Eustace and the Stratospheric Explore (StratEx) Team
• Embraer Legacy 500
• F-16 Automatic Ground Collision Avoidance Team
• General Aviation Joint Steering Committee
• Orion Exploration Flight Test-1
• Aurora Flight Sciences Orion UAS (Unmanned Aircraft System)

“It was a very strong list of nominations, which reflect the advancement of the world’s aviation industry,” NAA Chairman Jim Albaugh said. “It was a difficult list from which to select a recipient, and I congratulate Gulfstream on this great honor.”

 

This is the second time that Gulfstream has won the Collier trophy. In 2004, it took top honors for the development of the G550, the first civil aircraft to include an enhanced vision system as standard equipment.

Just recently, a G650ER—an upgraded version of the G650 product family— circumnavigated the globe in one stop and in the process set two city-pair records for speed and range (pending validation by the NAA.) After taking off from White Plains, N.Y., with three passengers and four crew members, the aircraft flew 6,939 nm eastbound to Beijing at an average speed of Mach 0.87.

The flight lasted 13 hours and 20 minutes. The aircraft continued eastbound 6,572 nm to Gulfstream headquarters in Savannah, Ga., at an average speed of Mach 0.89. That flight lasted 12 hours. For both segments, the jet landed with fuel in excess of NBAA flight rule reserves.

(Tony Velocci - Forbes Business Aviation)