Gulfstream Aerospace’s second G650 made its first flight from the company’s facilities at Savannah, Georgia, on February 25.
The second test aircraft, known as T2, took off from Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport at 12:50pm, with senior experimental test pilots Gary Freeman and Scott Buethe at the controls. The aircraft flew for 2 hours and 33 minutes, reaching an altitude of 37,000ft and a speed of Mach 0.80 before landing back in Savannah. The aircraft was airborne at the same time as the first test aircraft, with both aircraft being simultaneously tracked by dual telemetry facilities.
Gulfstream is working towards certification and first customer delivery of the G650 in 2011.