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Gulfstream G600

2019 MODERN AIRCRAFT

History of the Gulfstream G600

The Gulfstream G600 business jet was developed by Gulfstream Aerospace and is the successor to its G550 design. Introduced only in 2004, the G550 has been in production since 2003, with 550 units produced (2017).

The G600, under development at the time of writing (2017), had its maiden flight on December 17, 2016, with production scheduled for late 2018.

Gulfstream remains the leader in VIP/business jet travel, with the G600 being touted as an evolution of the aircraft class. Larger than the similar G500 series (detailed elsewhere on this site), the G600 is touted for best-in-class comfort, speed, range and fuel efficiency. The cockpit accommodates two pilots side-by-side and features side-mounted control sticks and a color touchscreen display.

Visibility out of the cockpit is excellent from either seat, thanks to the shorter nose cone and fighter-like "look down" ability. Ground travel is accomplished with a conventional retractable tricycle undercarriage.

Kitchens, bathrooms and comfortable seating are all part of the Gulfstream G600 experience, which offers approximately 90 different seating combinations. Technologies include state-of-the-art digital processing and flight control support, as well as greater use of cockpit automation.

Externally, the aircraft is laid out in the traditional way: the cockpit is at the very front in the design, and the passenger area is directly aft. The sides of the fuselage are dotted with oval windows for passengers to watch. The main wing is swept back and covered with winglets at the ends.

The main aircraft is located near the midship. The rear wing has a vertical fin with a high level plane that clears the washout of the side-mounted turbofan unit. The engine is kept as stern as possible to minimise cabin noise.

The base model G600 seats 19 passengers. It has an overall length of 96 feet, a wingspan of 95 feet and a height of 25.2 feet. Curb weight is 57,440 pounds, and MTOW is 91,600 pounds. Power comes from two Pratt & Whitney Canada PW815GA turbofan engines, each producing 15,680 pounds of thrust on takeoff.

It has a top speed of 610 mph, a top altitude of 51,000 feet and a range of up to 7,135 miles.