Today’s Top Pick is a 1978 Cessna T310R.

Many people involved in GA, from aircraft manufacturers to private pilots shopping for their next airplane, are aware of a notable trend in the so-called step-up market. In short, the type of pilot who used to step up to a light twin decades ago is more likely to choose a turboprop single these days.

The change makes sense when we consider that many pilots step up mainly to increase their cruising speed, and new turbine singles generally outrun older piston twins. But there are exceptions.

Cessna’s 310 series of light twins, manufactured from the mid-1950s until 1980, is known for lots of reserve power and high speeds. When you add turbocharging that boosts performance at altitude, as with this 1978 T130R, your cruising speeds might have ATC mistaking you for an airliner.

On the practical side, piston twins can offer good value on a dollar-per-knot basis when compared with turboprops, which arguably are in a different league in terms of budget. They also provide the security of a spare engine should one fail as you travel over water, in mountainous terrain, or at night.

When it comes to style, aesthetics, and perhaps a smidgen of vanity, the 310 is perceived by many as one of the best-looking GA aircraft ever built. Taxiing to the FBO in this turbocharged six-seater will give any pilot the Sky King experience. They also tend to receive affection from line personnel and fellow pilots who appreciate vintage iron.  

This 1978 Cessna Turbo 310R has 5,100 hours on the airframe and 1,200 hours since overhaul on each of its Continental TSIO-520 engines. The six-seat aircraft is equipped with a built-in 76-cubic-foot supplemental oxygen system. The IFR panel features a Garmin G 500 flight display panel with Garmin GTN 750 and GTN 650 GPS/nav/comms, S-Tec 55X autopilot, and JPI EDM 960.

Pilots looking for a piston twin that offers good value should take a detailed look at this 1978 Cessna T310R, which is available for $235,000 on AircraftForSale.

If you’re interested in financing, you can do so with FLYING Finance. Use their airplane loan calculator to calculate your estimated monthly payments. Or, to speak with an aviation finance specialist, visit flyingfinance.com.

• FLYING Magazine: Cessna 310 ‘Songbird III’ Still Attracts the Fans
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• FLYING Magazine: Things to Think About When Moving Up to a Light Twin
• FLYING Magazine: Garmin Achieves STC for GFC 600 for Cessna 310R, Pilatus PC-12/47
• Plane & Pilot: Cessna 310
• The Aviation Consumer: Used Aircraft Guide: Cessna 310
• The Aviation Consumer: Cessna 320 Skyknight
• AVweb: Jimmy Stewart Cessna 310 Monument Dedicated

The post This 1978 Cessna T310R’s Power and Versatility Make It an ‘AircraftForSale’ Top Pick appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

“Gulfstream continues to invest across all our facilities, including in Savannah, our headquarters for more than 50 years,” said Mark Burns, president of Gulfstream. “We designed the G400, G500, and G600 to have a number of commonalities that increase both operational and manufacturing efficiencies. Those commonalities mean that we have the flexibility to easily expand production lines to meet the growing demand for these aircraft, which also increases job growth across the region.”

The production methods used for the G400, G500, and G600, which were designed with Gulfstream’s Savannah-based research and development team, include advanced automation, 3D-model designs, and special robotic and bonding techniques.

“The technological advancements in our state-of-art manufacturing facilities help us deliver the highest quality product in the industry, built by the industry’s most talented workforce,” said Burns.

The increase in manufacturing capacity is part of Gulfstream’s strategic plan, which includes expanding wing and empennage production and the customer support service center in Savannah. Gulfstream said the expansion represents a $150 million investment expected to add 1,600 jobs to the region.

• READ MORE: Gulfstream Expands its Facilities Footprint

Gulfstream said it also has increased aircraft outfitting operations at Appleton International Airport (KATW) in Wisconsin and at St. Louis Downtown Airport (KCPS) in Illinois. The company also continues to expand customer support operations in the Dallas-Fort Worth (KDFW) area and Mesa, Arizona (KFFZ).

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AERO 2023 takes place in Friedrichshafen, Germany, from April 19 through 22, promising its massive exhibit halls and ramp near the Zeppelin hangar will be buzzing with the more than 635 exhibitors that plan to attend. We hear that Gulfstream’s even going to fly in its G500—a first for the business jet OEM.

Here are just a couple of key elements we’re looking forward to reporting on during FLYING’s time at AERO next week.

Sustainability Trail

Alternative fuels and propulsion take center stage on AERO’s Sustainability Trail this year, with those exhibitors “committed to sustainability in aviation” identified, according to a release from AERO. 

Tobias Bretzel, AERO show director at trade show organizer, said, “The future of aviation is extremely exciting, but also sustainable. The innovative power of the industry is enormous and AERO visitors can look forward to seeing many ‘green’ technologies in the exhibition halls and learning about them in numerous conferences. Ecology and economy often go hand in hand: electric flight, for example, makes flying not only low-emission and low-noise, but also significantly cheaper.”

As a complement to this, AERO will host a full-day symposium on the use of hydrogen as an aviation fuel for the first time on Friday, April 21, featuring research centers, universities, and industry representatives which will “provide answers as to how and whether the various systems can be installed in small aircraft, helicopters and transport aircraft,” according to the release.

To learn more, visit the AERO site.

Single-Engine Turboprop Ops

EASA’s much-anticipated decision to open up the potential to operate single-engine turbine aircraft commercially at night and in instrument meteorological conditions—termed “CAT-SET-IMC”—promises to charge up this corner of the industry, and coming after 20 years of considerable effort to achieve the possibility. 

In part to support this, AERO will host a Single Engine Turboprop Operations Conference (SETOps) on Friday, April 21, with a day full of seminars and training moments. According to a release from Emerald Media, which first introduced SETOps in the UK, the General Aviation Manufacturers Association/Europe (GAMA Europe) is supporting and promoting its move into the EU. 

The program includes the following:

• Bruno Budim, former executive director and accountable manager of BenAir Norway, Europe’s experienced Cessna Caravan operator, and long-time ambassador and promoter of CAT-SET-IMC in Europe, “will disclose the key findings of a GAMA and EBAA-backed SETOps’ Operators’ European survey,” according to Emerald Media.

• Darrell Swanson, co-founder of UK AAM management consultancy EAMaven, “will highlight the important pathfinding role SETops operators can play to help the challenging new world of advanced air mobility.”

• Dedicated sessions on MRO and engine support, pilot supply, and the need for close collaboration with small airports. 

• Speakers from industry leaders, including Daher, Pilatus, Garmin, Oriens Aviation, Oysterair, Jetfly, AOPA Germany, Rheinland Air Services, and Ampaire. EASA will be represented on a panel with GAMA, EBAA, and Daher. 

Single-engine turboprops also form an efficient and “here now” way to reduce emissions, through the use of SAF where possible, and owing to their overall fuel efficiency. 

Those interested in participating can book here.

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The fix—which corrects an issue in the flight control system’s angle of attack limiting mode—had been signed off by the FAA on Monday, with validation approved by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) on Tuesday afternoon.

The G500 and G600 fleet had been issued a wind limitation of 15 knots on landing, with a maximum allowable gust factor of 5 knots while the OEM worked on the corrective update.

A Hard Landing

The most recent restrictions had been prompted by a hard landing reported by a G500 in an unspecified location earlier this year, in which the activation of the mode during landing prevented the pilot from having full pitch authority. The result: The pilot was unable to arrest the descent rate properly.

“Initial data analysis of the event indicates the aircraft flight-control system entered Angle of Attack (AOA) Limiting Mode at approximately 12 feet above ground level following a series of large, rapidly alternating pitch stick inputs,” said Gulfstream in a “maintenance and operations” letter delivered on April 29 to its customers.

In addition, Gulfstream advised the following operations:

• Minimum approach speed during all approaches should be reference speed plus 10 knots.
• Use of autothrottle for approach and landing during normal operations.

The flight manual change was an intermediate step until the software update to modify the AOA limiting mode could be completed and approved.

• READ MORE: Gulfstream Gives Preview of First Fully Conforming G700

Delayed Deliveries, G700 Program

Gulfstream has fielded more than 170 G500s and G600s to date, and the required fix put a pause on further shipments until the update was approved. Those aircraft on hold have been “preloaded” so as to expedite the update once it was approved.

Because the work involved certain members of the G700 development team, the effort had an impact on that model’s certification program, resulting in a delay of three to six months for first deliveries. Gulfstream first reported this delay via the most recent General Dynamics (NYSE: GD) earnings call in July.

“The aircraft has performed well through all of the testing we’ve been doing in all of the outcomes,” said Haas of the G500 used for the update. “We also felt that we wanted to make this as seamless as possible for our customers, and so for several weeks we’ve been planning, and trying to work through a way for the customers to be able to make it as simple as possible to get the software installed.” 

• READ MORE: G800 Makes First Atlantic Crossing–to FIA22

The first customer update will take place in Fort Smith, Arkansas, at the company’s service facility there, and it was expected to be completed by the end of the day Tuesday. Updates will also take place in Basel, Switzerland; and Singapore. Gulfstream expects to have 90 percent of the fleet in service with the update by the end of September.

The post Gulfstream Gets FAA, EASA Signoff on Software Fix for G500 and G600 appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

“There are a lot of new buyers in the marketplace,” said Mark Burns, president of Gulfstream Aerospace. That observation explains the positive outlook maintained by the leadership team at the business aviation OEM—in spite of a soft second quarter and the ongoing prospects of unease in the economy into 2021. The pandemic has taken—in upsets to the company’s supply chain as well as its own operations as it has navigated the year—but it has also given back in other ways. Burns noted that the dramatic change in the playing field during 2020 has acted as “an accelerant for new businesses” with their accompanying need to travel, and to meet with customers and suppliers. And enough of these new entrants to the marketplace have turned to business aviation as a solution to start making up for other losses in the corporate aviation world.

Burns joined Scott Neal, senior vice president of worldwide sales, and Colin Miller, senior vice president of innovation, engineering, and flight, in a conference call with aviation media on November 19. During the nearly hour-long call, the trio fielded questions about the G700 program, as well as milestones made by the newly released G500 and G600, and the G280, G550, and G650 that form the heart of the company’s super-midsize to long-range fleet.

“I remain optimistic that we went into this very strong, and we are coming through this strong, and we will clear it and come out the other side strong as well,” said Burns. Gulfstream came into 2020 with “great momentum” with a “flurry of activity on the G700” as the company built upon the program’s announcement in October 2019. From all accounts, Gulfstream had a great fourth quarter of 2019 from a sales perspective. The company flew the G700 for the first time on February 14—and it now has five test articles flying. The early part of the year also saw the 600th G550 and the 400th G650 sold, with new service facilities opening up in Van Nuys (KVNY), California, and a parts distribution center in Amsterdam, setting up a good foundation for the tumultuous times the rest of the year would bring.

The pandemic drove changes within the company’s operations, with roughly 5,000 employees working remotely through the first five months of the crisis. Many have been reintegrated into the on-site workflow—though like other corporations Gulfstream has recognized where gains can be made in keeping folks in remote offices. Burns noted that the exercises required to meet protocols necessary to continue manufacturing sent ripples throughout the organization. “It can be close quarters [working on aircraft], but we’ve learned how to distance.”

The company managed to deliver and demonstrate aircraft around the world throughout the pandemic—critical to maintaining momentum on new programs such as the G700. Speaking of which, the program has remained resolutely on track, with Miller noting the development team’s ability to keep impacts from COVID-19 to a minimum. “We’ve been able to keep pace,” he said. Burns agreed: “We’ll be inducting the first airplane into completion very soon.”

Gulfstream has also kept a focus on sustainability in its investments and development efforts. “Every new design starts with sustainability in mind,” said Burns, with reductions in emissions, increases in fuel efficiency, and an eye towards using sustainable aviation fuel in a wide variety of operations. The company has begun to sell SAF at its facility in Van Nuys, and the fuel is used in Gulfstream’s own corporate fleet as well as in flight-test aircraft.

Looking ahead, Neal does not see significant change in pricing on the horizon, calling prices “stable.” “Companies want to do business with strong companies,” said Neal, and Gulfstream’s investments and corporate discipline have paid off in this regard. While activity certainly dropped off in April, May, and June, according to Neal, they’ve since registered an uptick in flying that they project will continue into 2021—with 87 deliveries though the third quarter. And those new buyers in the market aren’t choosing the entry-level end of Gulfstream’s product line, either. “Some first-time buyers are getting into the G650 as their first aircraft,” said Neal.

The post Gulfstream Leadership Looks Forward to 2021 appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

In a recent media briefing—and in key developments over the past two months—Gulfstream Aerospace has elaborated on several ways that its family of large and long-range jets serve to improve the environment inside and outside of the aircraft. Steve Cass, vice president of sales and support, and Tim O’Hara, director of completions, R&D, and design, led the discussion, which kicked off with a hot topic: clean air on board the airplane.

A HEPA filter, such as that touted recently on commercial jets, processes recycled air—and those systems reliant upon it are fine, but they still use some of the same air in each rotation. The G500, G600, and G700 use 100 percent fresh air instead—800 cubic feet of fresh air cycling into the aircraft each minute, according to Cass, renewing the cabin air every 2 to 3 minutes. It’s seven times more than the FAA requirement, per Gulfstream.

In addition, a new plasma ionization system now available discharges positive and negative oxygen ions that attach to pathogens and allergens in the air—neutralizing them—including particulates, such as bacteria, viruses, mold, and cigarette smoke. The system operates any time that the aircraft’s environmental system is operating, even when running solely on an APU. According to the company, the system is “available as a retrofit on the Gulfstream G650 and G650ER, G550, G450 and GV models, with additional installation options pending foreign certification. The system is provided as standard equipment on N-registered G650 and G650ER aircraft, with G500, G600 and international certifications in development.”

But is there a performance penalty for that fresh air? Cass noted that the systems were designed in with this in mind. “There are tradeoffs but it’s built into all figures.” It was “a compromise that we’re not ready to make.”

With new lighting inside the cockpit and cabin, Gulfstream’s development team looks to restore more natural rhythms to those on board the airplane. Cool, warm, and amber settings—which evoke sunrise and sunset—bring a quality to the environment that helps those inside fight off jet lag and travel fatigue as compared with prior RGB lighting systems. The lighting is stepped so finely (with 6,800 positions on the continuum) that changes in illumination can be quite subtle.

Noise can also cause fatigue, and Cass highlighted how their fleet marks lower in-cabin noise levels than others in the class. “Specifically, the 650 registered 47.5 decibels at Flight Level 450, at Mach 0.85—three to four decibels lower than others,” and up to 10 decibels lower than those found in a commercial airliner. A partnership with General Dynamics has led to the better acoustics—with GD’s experience in submarine design leveraged for the Gulfstream aircraft cabin.

With a better environment inside the airplane, what about the company’s efforts toward sustainability and a better environment outside? On October 21, World Fuel Services announced it had delivered more than 1.2 million gallons of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) to enhance Gulfstream’s efforts towards its environmental goals. According to the release, “since the original agreement, Gulfstream has used a portion of that 1.2 million gallons to fly more than 650 flights with a SAF jet-A fuel blend. By using that SAF, Gulfstream reduced carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 1,700 tons on these flights. The remainder of the fuel was delivered to the company’s California facilities for company and customer use.”

But pilots still want to know if the numbers add up—so in this vein Gulfstream has additional news: The company recently announced increased range capabilities demonstrated in customer operations on the G500 and G600 platforms since first deliveries began in September 2018 and August 2019, respectively. The new numbers apply to both high-speed cruise (Mach 0.90) and long-range cruise (Mach 0.85). “The G500 now delivers 5,300 nautical miles/9,816 kilometers at Mach 0.85 and 4,500 nm/8,334 km at Mach 0.90,” said the company in a release on October 29. “The G600′s range at Mach 0.85 has improved to 6,600 nm/12,223 km and 5,600 nm/10,371 km at Mach 0.90.” Gulfstream has also added to the G600′s payload (with full fuel). Through manufacturing improvements, the basic operating weight on the G600 has been lowered by 570 pounds, bringing the full-fuel payload to 2,600 pounds. No modifications are needed to realize the gains, even for existing customers.

The post Gulfstream Shows Off Interior, Sustainability, and Range Improvements appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Garmin has outlined a host of updated capabilities and compatibilities for its G500 TXi and G600 TXi flight displays, including autopilot integration and engine indication system (EIS) enhancements. The updates primarily focus on the Cirrus SR20 and SR22/22T, and the Piper PA-46-500T Meridian. Garmin began shipping the displays in March 2018.

The dealer-installed updates begin with the capability for owners of Cirrus SR20 and SR22 piston singles equipped with legacy Avidyne flight displays—or the very original six-pack—to upgrade to the G500 TXi in order to modernize, including the addition of engine indications. Percent power, turbocharged engine data, and up to six customizable engine parameters will be available.

Compatibility with the GFC 500 autopilot is still in the works for the Cirrus SR22 and SR22T, with availability projected in the fourth quarter of 2020. In the meantime, the G500 TXi models connect with Avidyne’s DFC90—which is also convenient for those who wish to keep their current autopilot—or those flying the SR20 so equipped. Once the GFC 500 update comes on line, Garmin’s electronic stability and protection (ESP) and descent VNAV will be available.

A new display layout on the 10.6-inch version of the TXi units incorporates an MFD and EIS presentation, showing a strip of EIS data that takes up about 20 percent of the display. Pilots can choose to use the remaining real estate to show the moving map alone, or in a split screen with an approach chart, for example.

Garmin has also added the Piper PA-46-500T Meridian to its list of aircraft able to display EIS information on the TXi. This adds to the list of Pratt & Whitney PT6A-equipped turboprops it can handle, including the Cessna 208/208B Caravan, Daher TBM 700 or 850, and the PA46-310P/350P JetProp. The Meridian is compatible with both the G500 TXi and G600 TXi, putting EIS information next to PFD and MFD presentations in a single display screen.

The post Garmin Brings Out Upgrades to G500/G600 TXi Models appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Gulfstream Aerospace’s G500 recently earned an innovation award for its introduction of the Symmetry Flight Deck and the safety advancements it brings to the business-jet industry. The award came from the Business Intelligence Group, that rewards vision, creativity and persistence in the world’s leading companies and individuals. The G500’s innovations include active control sidesticks, an extensive use of touch-screen technology and Gulfstream’s third-generation Enhanced Flight Vision System. The result is greater situational awareness, increased visibility, enhanced communication and what Gulfstream calls, a new level of safety.

The G500’s cabin experience is just as beneficial for passengers as the flight deck is for pilots. The aircraft’s new cabin seating is built around usability, comfort and aesthetics. It offers 100 percent fresh air, low noise and a pressurization system that holds the cabin to just 4,850 feet even at FL510 delivering passengers to their destination refreshed, revived and ready for business.

In addition to the BIG Innovation Award, the G500 received Aviation Week’s 2017 Technology Laureate Award for the active control sidesticks and Flying‘s 2019 Editors’ Choice Award. The Gulfstream-designed seats on the G500 and its sister ship, the G600, also earned a 2018 International Yacht & Aviation Award.

The post Gulfstream’s G500 Earns Safety Innovation Award appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

Flying magazine recently had a chance to get acquainted with the soon-to-be certified G500 at Gulfstream’s sprawling headquarters in Savannah, Georgia, flying in a simulator and taking a virtual tour of the many variations of the jet’s interior. The conclusion? The G500 is the ultimate Gulfstream.

The jet’s blend of luxury and a state-of-the-art fly-by-wire cockpit rank it atop the most technologically advanced civilian airplanes ever designed.

See below for photos of the G500’s interior and exterior.

The post Photos: Gulfstream G500 appeared first on FLYING Magazine.

For all the talk about lingering economic uncertainty and struggling aircraft market segments, it’s hard to think back to a more fascinating time for the business aviation industry. From emerging models like the Cessna Denali turboprop and Cirrus Vision Jet to larger airplanes, including the HondaJet, Pilatus PC-24, Citation Hemisphere, Bombardier Global 8000 and Dassault Falcon 8X, the market is brimming with new choices. At the pinnacle of this list of business airplanes are two large-cabin jets that inarguably rank among the most technologically advanced civil airplanes ever designed. The Gulfstream G500 and G600 can fly several thousand miles just a few knots below the speed of sound. They will whisk passengers in ultimate comfort thanks to their astonishingly quiet and supremely comfortable cabins. They feature the first active-control sidesticks in civilian aviation, linked by fly-by-wire flight controls that keep the pilots firmly in the loop (right where they belong), and cockpits incorporating a multitude of touchscreen displays that can be used for managing an unprecedented array of technology.

I recently had the chance to visit Gulfstream’s sprawling world headquarters in Savannah, Georgia, for an up-close look at the G500, which is well on its way toward certification next year, with first customer deliveries scheduled for 2018. Pilots of the four certification test airplanes and one cabin test airplane are being kept busy flying scores of sorties while engineers in the lab continue to assess and refine the G500’s various systems. By the time the G500 reaches the market, Gulfstream will be well into the test regimen for the slightly larger G600, slated to enter the market a year later, in 2019.

Though the G500 features a smaller wing and tail and a shorter fuselage than the G600, the airplanes are so similar — owing to the fly-by-wire computers, which make the jets feel exactly the same to pilots — that they will share a common type rating. Once a pilot has completed initial training at FlightSafety International’s learning center in Savannah, a freshly minted pilot certificate will be issued with GVII-G500/G600 added. That’s not a typo: The G500 and G600 technically form the G7 model line, just as the G650 really is a G6 and the current-production G450 and G550 are G5s. For you plane spotters, forget trying to tell a G500 and G600 apart — both have seven large oval windows per side (a change from the original design for the G500, which began life with six windows) and will be nearly impossible to distinguish without a tape measure or a peek at the data plate.

What puts these airplanes in uncharted territory from a technology standpoint can be distilled to a few key areas: The Honeywell Symmetry flight deck, based on the Primus Epic architecture, is all-new and the basis for a workspace that will make the G500 and G600 the envy of pilots flying other bizjets. The passenger compartment builds on achievements first realized in the G650, with the lowest cabin sound levels in the industry, the same large signature oval windows, and a cabin altitude for the G500 of 4,850 feet at its max operating altitude of FL 510. Another noteworthy change in the G500 and G600 are the airplane’s Pratt & Whitney PW800-series turbofan engines; it’s the first time Gulfstream has wavered from offering Rolls-Royce power in its large-cabin jets, and a switch that gives the models the best fuel efficiency in the class, the lowest noise, and an engine TBO of an impressive 10,000 hours with no midlife inspection requirement.

I obviously wasn’t given the opportunity to fly the G500 on this visit, but I got a taste of what the experience will be like when I was invited to fly in the sim. With Gulfstream experimental test pilot Tobias van Esselstyn as my guide in the right seat, I settled in amid all the vibrant touchscreens inside Gulfstream’s CASE, or Conceptual Advanced Simulation Environment. The simulator lacks motion, but everything else, from the cockpit layout to the feedback of the sidesticks to the flight dynamics, is spot on, van Esselstyn assured me.

As we departed from Savannah’s Runway 28 and climbed out over the tide-swept Atlantic coast, my first impression of the G500 was that it flies very much like a conventional airplane, despite its fly-by-wire computer brains. Unlike the Dassault Falcon 7X and 8X, which lack trim controls, the G500 has the familiar trim switch on the sidestick. As I moved the sidestick, I could see that the other stick on the right was mimicking my movements precisely, despite there being no physical link between them.

One of the only clues I had that I was indeed at the controls of a fly-by-wire airplane was my ability to press the autopilot disconnect button on the stick and have the airplane automatically trim itself to present airspeed. Gulfstream calls it “intelligence-by-wire,” and I’d have to agree. The architecture in the G500 and G600 uses wires, relays, circuits and servos rather than mechanical rods, pulleys and cables to manipulate the flight controls. Intelligence-by-wire advances that philosophy a few steps by linking the active-control sidesticks and touchscreen avionics with the autopilot, auto-throttles, autobrakes and automatic emergency descent to protect against lost cabin pressurization. It’s heady stuff.

Yes, the intelligence-by-wire system makes continual minor corrections to keep the airplane in an optimum aerodynamic condition, resulting in consistent handling for smoother flight and greater passenger comfort, but it’s easy to forget it’s there. Safety advances include stall protection at low speed and buffet protection at high Mach, both of which I got the chance to test. As the stall approached with the power levers pulled to flight idle, the nose automatically pitched down even though I was holding the stick fully aft. Even rolling the airplane to the left and right in this precarious state didn’t lead to catastrophe.

Landings in the G500 sim were surprisingly similar to the experience of flying light general aviation airplanes. The big Gulfstream wing provides lots of cushion in ground effect, van Esselstyn explained. The force-feedback technology in the G500 works wonderfully well. If one pilot moves the stick opposite of the other pilot, both feel the input. If they fight over the controls, eventually they will split and the captain’s stick takes precedence. It’s all very Gulfstream in its philosophy, and I can’t imagine pilots transitioning from yoke-equipped jets complaining once they’ve tried it.

I’m not so sure what the reaction to the touchscreens will be among longtime Gulfstream pilots, but I liked them a lot. The four main flight displays do not have touch capability, but 10 other displays oriented around the cockpit are touch-controlled. To me, the displays seemed logically arranged, with the usual systems accessible overhead and strategic flight tasks completed on the lower displays. I had a hard time discovering just the right technique to swipe between pages, and of course I couldn’t try the touchscreens in turbulence. What I did appreciate was the fact that menu selections aren’t made until the pilot removes his or her finger, which should help cut down on erroneous inputs in the bumps.

The touchscreens have the look and feel of electronic flight bag units, which is on purpose. They’re designed to be pilot-replaceable should a particular screen start acting up while away from home base. The rest of the cockpit, meanwhile, is stunningly beautiful: The seats are perforated leather, and the center pedestal and sidewalls flow together in a way that gives the impression of sitting in a high-end sports car, though with a lot of extra space. There are a pair of cursor-control devices on the center pedestal that can be used to access menus and data, with brushed-metal accents that carry over to the sidesticks and trim.

Of course, the aesthetics of the cockpit are nothing compared with the cabin. Gulfstream’s interior designers have created spaces that seamlessly carry over from the home, office, yacht, luxury car or whatever the buyer desires. The $44.65 million price of a new G500 includes a fully outfitted interior. When you sign the papers to buy one, you can use Gulfstream’s app on an iPad to add, remove and rearrange a seemingly endless array of cabin modules that include seating arrangements, divans, cabinets with hidden flat-screen TVs and more. You can also pay a bit more and add special touches like stone floors (really), beds and a shower.

Every G500 comes standard with a galley, which the buyer can choose to position up front or in the back of the cabin. There are also standard fore and aft lavatories. To assist well-heeled buyers in choosing their signature cabin look, the interior team has created five basic aesthetic designs to choose from: classic, layered, sport, minimalist and next-generation. As you might guess, the classic look is traditional and will be familiar to any corporate jet passenger. 
Layered takes the classic approach a step further by using patterns and textures together with accents such as plated metals to create a more stimulating look. Sport values high contrast, and unsurprisingly takes its cues from the automotive and yachting industries. Minimalist might be described as a look coveted by tech entrepreneurs, with tonal aesthetics that focus more on the architecture of the cabin — think Palo Alto office. Next-generation, meanwhile, is a free-for-all of design concepts, reserved for the unreserved.

The cabin environment has become so important to Gulfstream, in fact, that the fifth G500 test airplane, designated P1, is being used as the interior test plane. It is outfitted with a production-ready cabin that gives the airplane the look of a sales demonstrator. The approach allows Gulfstream engineers and designers to test all of the interior components and technology in the real environments that the airplane can be expected to fly in. As on the G650, the interiors of the G500 and G600 were designed with input from engineers brought over from Gulfstream parent General Dynamics’ submarine division. These minds figured out how to make the cabins so quiet that passengers scarcely know they are flying at all.

During my visit to Savannah, I was permitted to don a virtual reality headset and go inside a computer-generated cabin, where I could interact with anything I so desired — opening and closing the refrigerator door in the galley and seeing the carafe of fresh-squeezed orange juice inside, for example — and make changes using a controller that I pointed at seats, couches, tables and more to instantly make them become something else. I was also invited inside the secretive Gulfstream acoustics laboratory to learn how designers test the sound-deadening properties of everything that goes inside the cabin.

Finally I was able to board the P1 test airplane and see the finished interior firsthand, as well as the actual production flight deck. It occurred to me that in a cockpit this quiet, comfortable and dark, staying awake on long flights might be a challenge. For passengers, the G500 will be an inviting place to relax, enjoy a meal, work, read, or watch a movie.

And that’s the secret to business aviation’s long success story, isn’t it? In a world where airline travel can seem like drudgery and schedules are dictated on their terms instead of yours, a private plane can take you anywhere you need to be, when you need to be there. In the case of the G500, passengers will appreciate the capabilities just that much more. Pilots, meanwhile, will be flying a Gulfstream — the ultimate Gulfstream, in fact. And that’s saying something.

Technology Transfer

As I walked the production line at the Gulfstream factory in Savannah, Georgia, and marveled at the ­fantastical G500s and G600s being assembled by ­humans and, yes, robots, I couldn’t help but wonder what Orville and Wilbur might think of it all. What they’d say, I’m fairly certain, is, Gee, we could have used some of this technology at Kitty Hawk. Which begs the question: Are there certain elements from the cutting-edge world of business jet development that can be applied to the lower echelons of general aviation, perhaps in tomorrow’s light airplanes?

The answer is a resounding yes. The smart use of touchscreens in the G500, for example, should prove to tomorrow’s airplane designers that touch technology has a firm place in GA’s future. Automation, meanwhile, can be used to make smarter airplanes that sense when something is amiss and work to correct a problem without the pilot having to lift a finger.

Sidesticks are a revelation from the G500 that have also been used in the Dassault Falcon 7X and 8X, ­Embraer Legacy 450 and 500, Cirrus SR series and ­Vision Jet, Cessna TTx, and others. There’s little question they should be a de facto standard in any future light airplane. They put the flight controls within natural reach of the pilot’s hand while freeing space in the cockpit that’s taken up by yokes and control columns in other airplanes. If Gulfstream has embraced them, isn’t it time everybody else did too?

The 10,000-hour TBO of the G500’s Pratt & Whitney PW814GA engines is something we’d all love to be the beneficiaries of in the future. The lesson here? Turbine power is superior to the venerable piston engine, no question. With the Cirrus Vision Jet on short final for certification, and several highly capable single-engine turboprops and light jets to choose from, my money is on a continued shift among buyers to turbine power and jet-A fuel rather than avgas-powered piston engines.

It’s also high time that smaller airplanes started benefiting from fly-by-wire flight controls, auto­throttles and a more electric architecture in general. At the ­moment, the technology is too costly to filter downstream even to the highest-performance piston airplanes, turboprops and small jets. I’ll wager you this, however: The first manufacturer to do it will sell a lot of airplanes.

Gulfstream G500

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