On Valentine’s Day Gulfstream’s latest, the ultra-long-range G700 business jet took to the skies for a little jaunt. The 32-minute flight of the new flagship Gulfstream marks the beginning of its flight test program. And fittingly considering the day of that first flight, the G700 that took to the skies will not be alone in the flight validation process. It will be instead be joined by several other examples.
Gulfstream announced the G700—estimated street price of $75 million–at a spectacular NBAA event in October.
With the progress of the 700, Gulfstream readies itself to boast a lineup of front-line business jets that include the G500, G600, G650 and, now, the G700, to offer customers a wide range of capabilities. All are fast and all of them have enviable range.
But when it comes to, well, just about every category, the G700 is top dog. Powered by a pair of Roll-Royce Pearl 700 engines, the G700 can fly at its high-speed cruise of .90 Mach for 6,400 nautical miles. For the longest flights, it can stretch its legs by cruising along at a relatively leisurely Mach .85, at which speed it can fly for 7,500 nm.
Besides performance, style is key in the G700. The cabin, which Gulfstream calls “the longest, widest and tallest cabin in the industry,” features several separate living areas, including a crew compartment. The master suite has a shower, and the plane is outfitted with what the company is calling an “ultra-high definition circadian lighting system” and “speakerless surround sound.”
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