Monday, April 14, 2008

Gulfstream G450

The Gulfstream 400 was a central figure in the large-cabin private jet lineup since its introduction to the market, and the Gulfstream 450 lives up to its standards. It can fly eight passengers and three crew members from Tokyo to Seattle at a speed of .80 Mach. Everything from its engines to its flight control systems are high-performing and reliable.
Between fourteen and eighteen passengers should ride comfortably in the Gulfstream 450’s 1,513 cubic foot cabin. Passengers can stand up in the 6.2 foot high cabin and will enjoy the 7.4 foot width and 45.1 foot length (an 18 inch increase from the G-III). The 169 cubic feet of baggage space is accessible in-flight. Two full-length closets for coat storage are located inside the two fully enclosed lavatories.

There are plenty of cabin features that should make transcontinental and transoceanic flights enjoyable. Standard and optional electronic offerings include a CD, VHS, and DVD player, two LCD screens, individual headphones at each seat for the cabin audio system, a fax machine, and satellite phones. In case those features aren’t enough, a full-sized galley, power plugs, work tables, and a LAN connection are included as well. Electronics, lighting, and the two-zone temperature control system can be controlled from several different locations in the cabin.
The Gulfstream 450’s Rolls-Royce Tay Mk 611-8C engines are built around the high-pressure engine core of the Spey RB.183-555, which has successfully documented thousands of hours of flight time in various other commercial and private jets. The Rolls-Royce Tay engine, however, gets 2,600 pounds more thrust on takeoff than the Spey. The Tay engines produce 13,850 pounds of thrust each, allowing a sea level takeoff in 5,450 feet.

Much of the Gulfstream 450’s speed and range capabilities can be attributed to some small improvements to the structure. A new wing design cut down on drag and allowed for an increased fuel capacity, totaling 29,500 pounds. Overall weight was reduced by about 500 pounds due to the use of Kevlar and graphite-epoxy composites in some parts of the cabin and engine nacelles.

The fully integrated cockpit is taken up entirely by four Cathode Ray Tubes (CRT) that display all flight, systems, and navigation information. The full-color CRTs replace the mass of electromechanical instruments and displays that usually take up the control panel. Color radar, dual Flight Management Systems (FMS), navigation computers, and Engine Instrument and Crew Alert Systems (EICAS) are provided by Sperry Flight Systems. The new Enhanced Vision System (EVS) can create an infrared image of the view from the cockpit and displays it on the Head-Up Display (HUD) of the pilot. This image is accurate enough to show details like lights and reflective strips on the runway, enabling the pilot to fly and even land in low-visibility conditions.

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