Charles Alcock is managing editor of the AIN Media Group, having rejoined the company in 2019. He has been an aviation journalist since 1986, and previously worked for AIN from 1990 to 2017, most recently as editor-in-chief. His main focus is on covering new aviation technology and business models, as well as international news.
Having been raised in the London area, Alcock studied at the University of Manchester in the UK and earned an honors degree in Politics and Modern History. He speaks English and French, and some German.

Managing Editor

Charles Alcock

EASA has approved Gulfstream’s G650 and G650ER business jets for 6-degree steep approach operations at European airports. Announcing the clearance on Tuesday, the U.S. manufacturer said the long-range, large-cabin aircraft can now fly into popular private aviation gateways such as London City Airport, with its 5.5-degree approach and&nbsp;4,327-foot runway.

 


At the Farnborough Airshow this week, Gulfstream is showcasing its new G800 model, which it intends to fly up to 8,000 nm. The aircraft merges the G650ER fuselage with the G700's wing, tail, Rolls-Royce Pearl 700 engines, and&nbsp;Honeywell Epic-based Symmetry flight deck&nbsp;with active control sidesticks.

 


Less than a month after the G800’s first flight on June 28, the jet made its first international appearance, having flown the transatlantic trip from Savannah, Georgia in just under seven hours. The G800&nbsp;flies to a maximum speed of Mach 0.925 and operates at up to 51,000 feet.

 


Gulfstream president Mark Burns said that by early September the company&nbsp;hopes to lift operating restrictions on approach speeds and control inputs for the G500 and G600 models imposed in May by an FAA airworthiness directive. That followed a hard landing in a G500, prompting software changes that the company expects to demonstrate to FAA pilots later this week.

 


Burns explained that the same new software will replicate that already used on the G700. Gulfstream will incorporate it&nbsp;into the G800, which&nbsp;the company&nbsp;aims to have certified and ready to enter service by the end of 2023.

 


This week, Gulfstream also announced the appointment of Mark Bates as the new general manager of its Farnborough service center. The 225,000-sq-ft facility opened in 2020 and is part of a $500 million investment in product support infrastructure that the company has made in the past 10 years, according to Derek Zimmerman, president of Gulfstream customer support. The building, which sits on the other side of the runway from the Farnborough Airshow, can accommodate 13 large business jets simultaneously.

 


Two weeks ago, Gulfstream opened another new customer support center at Alliance Airport in Texas that will serve operators&nbsp;in the southern U.S., as well as central and South America. In May Gulfstream started construction of another new facility in Mesa, Arizona.

 


According to Zimmerman, Gulfstream’s $1 billion investment in spare parts has left it well prepared to deal with the supply chain issues now impeding the wider aviation industry. He said that the company is also investing in training new skilled staff, through initiatives such as the mechanic training program operated in the UK by Farnborough Technical College.

News and developments about airplanes, helicopters and unmanned air vehicles used in all varieties of operations, including airlines, military, business, commercial, general aviation and private.

EASA Clears Gulfstream G650 for Steep-approach Airports

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