News Release
GULFSTREAM G550 BUSINESS-JET AIRCRAFT IN SERVICE FOR ONE YEAR
In-service G550 Fleet Accumulates More Than 7,600 Flight Hours in First Year
SAVANNAH, Ga., Sept. 17, 2004 – Gulfstream Aerospace, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), today celebrates the first anniversary of the entry into service of its large-cabin, ultra-long-range G550 business-jet aircraft.
“This has been an incredible first year,” said Bryan Moss, president, Gulfstream. “The 25 aircraft that currently make up the G550 in-service fleet have accumulated more than 7,600 flight hours and are experiencing a dispatch reliability rate of 99.73 percent. The fleet leader has already reached over 900 hours.”
During the past year, Gulfstream pilots flying the G550 established more than 10 city-pair speed and distance records as well as a long-distance, nonstop 7,301-nautical-mile flight between Seoul, South Korea, and Orlando, Fla.
In May, the G550 development team received the nation’s most prestigious aerospace award, the Robert J. Collier Trophy, for its collective work on the G550. In the trophy citation, the G550 is described as “an innovative aircraft that offers measurable safety enhancements and practical, applicable and useful advances in aerospace technology.”
A breakthrough in aerospace technology, the G550’s PlaneView™ cockpit is an integrated flight deck that incorporates large, easy-to-read liquid crystal displays to help reduce pilot workload and improve pilot situational awareness.
On Aug. 14, 2003, one month before the first G550 entered service, the Federal Aviation Administration issued both G550 type and production certificates - the first time in Gulfstream’s history that both certificates were received on the same day. The G550 certification marked the first time that Gulfstream’s award-winning Enhanced Vision System (EVS) was included in an FAA-issued Type Certificate. Finally, the G550 certification marked the first time Honeywell’s Primus Epic® avionics, the heart of PlaneView, were certified on an aircraft.
Since the G550’s roll-out in 2001, Gulfstream has introduced three new aircraft that feature the PlaneView cockpit - the large-cabin, ultra-long-range G500; the large-cabin, long-range G450; and the large-cabin, mid-range G350. All four aircraft share the same pilot-type ratings, with minimal differences in training, which will result in significant cost savings for operators of multiple-aircraft fleets.
NOTE TO EDITORS
The G550 can accommodate up to 18 passengers, fly at a maximum speed of .885 Mach and cruise at a maximum altitude of 51,000 feet. With a 100 percent fresh air system, maximum cabin altitude of 6,000 feet and 14 signature oval windows that allow for ample natural lighting, the G550 cabin maximizes passenger comfort while decreasing the effects of travel fatigue and jet lag.
Designed by pilots for pilots, the G550 features the most technologically advanced cockpit in commercial aviation. Unique in its blending of state-of-the-art technology and simplicity in its presentation of information, PlaneView has supplanted the “dials and steam gauges” technology that has dominated the business jet cockpit for the past 20 years. By incorporating the most advanced computer software, hardware and display technologies available and marrying them with the latest in infrared camera technology, the G550 PlaneView cockpit reduces pilot workload while increasing safety. With PlaneView, all flight information - navigation, aircraft systems, communication and pilot situational awareness - is just a cursor click away.
Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics (NYSE: GD), designs, develops, manufactures, markets, services and supports the world’s most technologically advanced business jet aircraft. Gulfstream has produced more than 1,400 aircraft for customers around the world since 1958. To meet the diverse transportation needs of the future, Gulfstream offers a comprehensive fleet of aircraft, comprising the mid-cabin, high-speed Gulfstream G100™; the wide-cabin, high-speed Gulfstream G150™; the large-cabin, mid-range Gulfstream G200™; the large-cabin, mid-range Gulfstream G300™; the large-cabin, mid-range Gulfstream G350™; the large-cabin, long-range Gulfstream G400™; the large-cabin, long-range G450™; the large-cabin, ultra-long-range Gulfstream G500™ and the large-cabin, ultra-long-range Gulfstream G550™. Gulfstream also offers aircraft ownership services via Gulfstream Financial Services Division and Gulfstream Pre-Owned Aircraft Sales®. The company employs more than 6,750 people at seven major locations. We invite you to visit our Web site for more information and photos of Gulfstream aircraft at www.gulfstream.com.
General Dynamics, headquartered in Falls Church, Virginia, employs approximately 69,400 people worldwide and anticipates 2004 revenue of $19 billion. The company is a market leader in mission-critical information systems and technologies; land and expeditionary combat systems, armaments and munitions; shipbuilding and marine systems; and business aviation. More information about the company can be found at www.generaldynamics.com.
