Matt Thurber, editor-in-chief at AIN Media Group, has been flying since 1975 and writing about aviation since 1978 and now has the best job in the world, running editorial operations for Aviation International News, Business Jet Traveler, and FutureFlight.aero. In addition to working as an A&amp;P mechanic on everything from Piper Cubs to turboprops, Matt taught flying at his father’s flight school in Plymouth, Mass., in the early 1980s, flew for an aircraft owner/pilot, and for two summer seasons hunted swordfish near the George’s Banks off the East Coast from a Piper Super Cub. An ATP certificated fixed-wing pilot and CFII and commercial helicopter pilot, Matt is type-rated in the Citation 500 and Gulfstream V/550. Based in the Pacific Northwest, Matt and his team cover the entire aviation scene including business aircraft, helicopters, avionics, safety, manufacturing, charter, fractionals, technology, air transport, advanced air mobility, defense, and other subjects of interest to AIN, BJT, and FutureFlight readers.

Editor-in-Chief

Gulfstream designs, develops, manufactures, markets, and services business jet aircraft.

Gulfstream GIV, GIV-SP,G300, G350,  and G450

Matt Thurber

Aloft AeroArchitects, 101 Aviation, and True Blue Power are developing a supplemental type certificate (STC) to replace the original nicad or lead-acid main-ship batteries in the Gulfstream IV, IV-SP, IV-X, V, and V-SP with TB50 lithium-ion batteries. After that STC is issued around June or July, plans are to develop a similar STC for the G650.
The TB50 is FAA technical standard order (TSO) approved and weighs 44 pounds. With two main-ship batteries, the TB50 installation weighs up to 60% less than nicad or lead-acid batteries. For example, a typical Gulfstream lead-acid battery weighs 96 pounds, or 192 pounds for both.
While the FAA issued special conditions applicable to this STC, “We do not anticipate any challenges in meeting [them],” 101 Aviation president Mike McClain told AIN. True Blue Power lithium-ion batteries are installed in more than 20 aircraft models and 5,000 aircraft, he explained, “logging over 13 million safe flight hours with zero in-flight failures.
“The lithium found in everyday consumer devices like smartphones and laptops uses a lithium metal oxide chemistry that is prone to thermal runaway, oxygen release, and self-sustaining fires when damaged or stressed, whereas this battery uses lithium-iron phosphate (LiFePO4), a fundamentally different chemistry that remains stable under extreme conditions, releases no flames, and produces carbon dioxide rather than oxygen in the rare event of a thermal incident.”
Additionally, the TB50 is maintained on-condition, which eliminates capacity checks or, for nicads, deep cycling. 101 Aviation is providing a four-year warranty for the TB50 battery. With a battery management system that controls and monitors battery performance, the TB50 ensures “balanced charging and discharging across all internal cells, preventing imbalances that can reduce performance or lifespan,” McClain said. “This battery has been seen to last 20,000-plus cycles with an estimated lifespan of eight to 15 years.”
Price of the Gulfstream STC will be $79,500 for the batteries, kit, STC paperwork, and the four-year warranty.

News and issues about aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO), covering all segments of the aviation industry; and modifications for aircraft and engines. Subjects include product support of aircraft, engines and avionics, MRO company mergers, acquisitions, announcements and personnel, Airworthiness Directives, Supplemental Type Certificate approvals and other topics.

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In this article

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Gulfstream GV/G550

True Blue Power

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