Gulfstream has begun evaluating the cabin of its G400 business jet in flight, after a fully outfitted test aircraft made its first flight from Dallas Love Field. The 2-hour-46-minute sortie reached 48,000 feet. The aircraft has an 11-passenger cabin configured across two-and-a-half living areas, allowing Gulfstream to assess cabin systems, functionality and comfort as the G400 progresses towards certification. No certification date has been given.
The cabin-equipped aircraft is one of three experimental G400s in the test programme. In a separate flight ahead of NBAA-BACE in Las Vegas, one of the aircraft flew from Miami to Las Vegas in 4 hours 8 minutes at an average Mach 0.89, setting a city-pair speed record. The flight used a blend of sustainable aviation fuel; Gulfstream did not identify the record’s recognition authority.
The programme has also included high-altitude testing in Telluride, Colorado, and cold-weather testing in Iqaluit, Canada. Gulfstream displayed the outfitted aircraft and a cabin mock-up at NBAA-BACE. The newly completed first flight adds in-flight evaluation of the passenger interior to the test effort, alongside the aircraft’s environmental and performance testing.