Savannah-based Gulfstream Aerospace on Wednesday brought its biggest, baddest corporate jet to metro Atlanta on Wednesday as it works to win federal certification.
The Georgia Business Aviation Association held an event Wednesday for visitors to see 10 planes on display — including the G700 and Gulfstream G500 — at Hawthorne Global Aviation Services’ terminal and facility at Cobb County International Airport in Kennesaw.
Of Gulfstream’s jets, the G700 has the largest cabin with room for up to 19 passengers. Options include a suite with a bed and multiple “living areas.” The 2023 list price: $79 million.
The G700 isn’t just a plane coveted by the upper-crust, it’s a major program for one of Georgia’s biggest employers in a critical sector. Georgia might be better known for peaches, but aerospace products ranked as the state’s top export in 2022, totaling $9.2 billion, according to the Georgia Department of Economic Development.
Credit: NATRICE MILLER
Credit: NATRICE MILLER
Certification of the G700 has taken longer than expected, and Gulfstream is now targeting the fourth quarter for approval by the Federal Aviation Administration. The company said it has flown more than 4,100 test hours with its flight-test aircraft, including two fully-outfitted G700s that have been flying around the world for potential buyers to see.
On Tuesday, Gulfstream announced that the G700 has demonstrated increased range and speed, with a range of 7,750 nautical miles at Mach 0.85 speed, or about 560 nautical mph.
Gulfstream said the G700 is the first business aircraft to go through FAA certification since the passage of a new aircraft certification regulations enacted in 2020 after the crashes of two Boeing 737 Max commercial jets.
“As a result, we will be delivering an extremely mature, rigorously tested aircraft that will outperform expectations in speed, range and cabin comfort,” said Gulfstream President Mark Burns in a written statement.
The event in Cobb drew potential customers, students, people who work in corporate flight departments and others in the aviation industry. Hawthorne also displayed renderings of its planned expansion at the Cobb airport through a project to build a new terminal and hangars.
