Gulfstream Aerospace’s G300 has made its first flight, demonstrating significant programme maturity and officially launching its rigorous flight test programme. Introduced on 30 September at the OEM’s headquarters in Savannah, Georgia, as the latest addition to Gulfstream’s visionary fleet, the G300 represents a new standard in its segment and is poised to redefine the super midsize category.

The first G300 took off from Ben Gurion International airport in Tel Aviv at 0805 local time and flew for two hours and 25 minutes at a speed of Mach 0.75 and an altitude of 30,000ft.

“With its combination of safety, technology, performance and cabin comfort, the G300 is a game changer for the super midsize category,” says Mark Burns, president, Gulfstream. “This latest investment, designed to exceed our customers’ expectations for large-cabin features in a mid-cabin aircraft, brings another new category leader to our next-generation fleet. With the addition of the G300, Gulfstream truly offers an aircraft for every mission. Achieving first flight at this stage in the programme is a remarkable achievement.”

The G300 features the largest interior in the super midsize segment. Natural light from 10 Gulfstream panoramic oval windows enhances the spacious cabin, which can seat up to 10 passengers and includes two living areas, a generously appointed galley and ample room for baggage. The G300 also features the lowest cabin altitude in its class at 4,800ft when flying at 41,000ft, along with 100 per cent fresh air, a standard plasma air ionisation system and whisper-quiet sound levels.

The G300 boasts class-leading range at the highest speeds with the ability to fly 3,600nm at Mach 0.80 or 3,000nm at Mach 0.84. In addition, the aircraft also features impressive fuel efficiency thanks to its combination of the clean, swept Gulfstream wing and Honeywell HTF7250G engines.

With next-generation technology, the G300 Harmony Flight Deck greatly enhances safety with six touchscreens paired with phase-of-flight intelligence, a Synthetic Vision primary flight display that depicts runways and terrain in 3D imagery and Gulfstream’s award-winning Predictive Landing Performance System.

Prior to first flight, the G300 programme completed more than 2,000 ground test hours and includes two additional test aircraft already in production.