G500 Development and Production

The Gulfstream G500 is a twin jet designed and produced by Gulfstream Aerospace- an American aviation company based in Savannah that develops, manufactures, and services business jet aircraft. The G500 was made known to the public in October 2014, at Savannah, Georgia, USA, together with the Gulfstream G600.

In May 18 2015, first flight of the G500 took place. The test unit of four prototypes and first production of the G500 happened in May 2017. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) released a type inspection Authorization (TIA) in August 2017.

The aircraft received its type and production certificate on July 20 2018 from the FAA.

In September 27 2018, the first G500 was delivered.

G500 Design

Gulfstream G500 is designed to take the place of the old G450, the last variant of Gulfstream IV-exceeding it by every measured performance. It flies 18% farther and 30 knots faster.

The four circular arcs cross-section fuselage of the G500 is made of metal and has an exterior height of 7.77 meters and length of 27.79 meters. It has 14 panoramic oval windows- 71.37 cm x 52.32 cm in size.

Its metal wing has a span of 26.55 meters, designed with supercritical airfoil with a drag-divergence Mach number of 0.87-0.88. The G500 horizontal stabilizer and flight controls are made of composite materials.

G500 Cabin

The Gulfstream G500 features a 12.65-meter-long, 2.41-meter-wide and 1.93-meter-high spacious cabin, built for convenience of the passenger and for better performance of aircraft.

The G500 cabin has an option of a forward or aft galley and an aft stateroom with four windows. It has three living areas and a resting place for crew, washroom, cooking area, and tables for meals or meetings. It has a high-speed internet connection and wide screen television that allows the passenger to relax while in flight.

The aircraft has panoramic windows that boost natural light to lit the cabin and spacious seats with extra legroom that allow the passenger to recline easily. G500 cabin can accommodate a maximum of 19 passengers.

There are touchscreen devices that let the passenger control lighting, temperature, window shades, and other entertainment tools right from their seat.

G500 Flight Deck and Avionics

The G500 features the most technologically advanced flight deck- the Symmetry Flight Deck, that has cutting-edge technology. It boasts electronically Active Control Side Sticks (ACS) that gives the pilot a better physical feel for the motion of aircraft and its aerodynamic limits.

The ACS are flight-critical controls that let the pilot command fly-by-wire aircraft successfully and productively. It provides better organization between the pilot and co-pilot, and improves safety awareness in the cockpit.

The feature of a fly-by-wire system takes the place of traditional manual flight controls. The system makes use of computers to operate the flight control inputs by the pilot or autopilot, and transmit signals to the flight control surface actuators.

G500 has an advanced touchscreen technology, and a third-generation Enhanced Flight Vision System (EFVS) to display information of aircraft, flight symbols, and electronic real-time sensor image of the forward external scene.

G500 Engine and Performance

The Gulfstream G500 is powered by two Pratt and Whitney Canada PW800 engines, which have a thrust rating of 14,000 pound of force. The engines provide high level of fuel efficiency, decreased emissions, undesired noise and maintenance times.

The aircraft has a maximum fuel capacity of 3,462 US Gal with a maximum payload of 2,495 kg. Its maximum take-off and landing weights are 34,859 kg and 29,188 kg.

Gulfstream G500 can fly up to 51,000 feet service ceiling with a maximum cruising speed of 566 knots.