Gulfstream's new ultra long-range G650ER set a record while flying around the world in one stop in an ass-numbing flight from New York to China and finally Savannah, Georgia.


The G650ER took off from White Plains, New York, with three passengers and four crew members on board. It flew 6,939 nautical miles eastbound to Beijing at an average speed of mach 0.87 for a total flight time of 13 hours and 20 minutes. The aircraft then flew eastbound 6,572 nm to Savannah, GA, accomplishing the mission at an average speed of Mach 0.89 for a total flight time of 12 hours. And both times the aircraft landed with fuel in excess of National Business Aviation Association instrument flight rule reserves.

"There isn't another business jet capable of this mission," said Scott Neal, senior vice president, Worldwide Sales and Marketing, Gulfstream. "The G650ER provides a combination of speed and range that is creating history and setting records."


Pending approval by the U.S. National Aeronautic Association, the city-pair records will be sent to the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale in Switzerland for recognition as world records. In addition to these two pending records, the G650ER set two speed records during flight testing in 2014. The aircraft flew from Los Angeles to Melbourne, Australia, in 14 hours and 58 minutes. The G650ER then flew from Hong Kong to Teterboro, New Jersey, in 14 hours and 7 minutes.

The G650ER can travel 7,500 nm at Mach 0.85 and 6,400 nm at Mach 0.90. It has a maximum speed of Mach 0.925. It also shares the same cabin, avionics and other systems as the standard G650. This allows current G650 owners to upgrade their original G650 to a G650ER. Upgrades require a changes to the G650's fuel system that increases the capacity of the G650ER's wings over the G650. No word on price, of course.

Photo: Gulfstream