Gulfstream has resumed test flying its G650, and two of the aircraft are now flying as part of the flight-test program. The program was suspended after the fatal April crash of one of the aircraft engaged in certification test flights. Flight testing resumed at the end of May, when S/N 6001 restarted the flight-test regime with an interim restriction that temporarily increased V speeds and limited maximum angle of attack on takeoff . S/N 6004 rejoined the program two weeks later, on June 11.
At press time, the company expected the remaining two G650s to fly again soon as well. “We have conducted all the necessary reviews to assure ourselves that we can safely resume the flight-test program at this point,” said Pres Henne, Gulfstream’s senior vice president for programs, engineering and test. “We have worked closely with the FAA in this process and received the agency’s concurrence to resume flight testing. It is our responsibility to move forward with the flight-test program, and we will do so in a safe and prudent manner.”
