Gulfstream G450 Sets Another Speed Record

October 8, 2010 —A large-cabin, long-range Gulfstream G450 business jet recently established a city-pair speed record between Savannah and São Paulo, completing the 3,922-nautical-mile flight in less than nine hours. The G450 took off from the Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport at 8:07 a.m. local time with six passengers, one flight attendant and international captains Eric Parker and Jaime Bahamon on board, according to an Oct. 5th Gulfstream press release. The aircraft, flying to the Latin American Business Aviation Conference & Exhibition, landed at the Guarulhos International Airport in São Paulo eight hours and 50 minutes later. The average cruise speed for the flight was Mach 0.80, with altitudes ranging from 41,000 to 45,000 feet. The National Aeronautic Association confirmed the flight as a U.S. record and forwarded the figures to the Federation Aeronautique Internationale in Switzerland for approval as a world record. The Savannah-São Paulo record had previously been unclaimed. Powered by two Rolls-Royce Tay Mk 611-8C engines, the G450 can fly 4,350 nautical miles— Beijing to New Delhi or Moscow nonstop and can reach speeds of up to Mach 0.88. The G450 established its first speed record 10 days after it entered service on May 7, 2005, flying 3,550 nautical miles — Chicago to London — in 7:19 at an average speed of Mach 0.85.  Since then, the aircraft has set four additional records, including Washington, D.C., to Luton, England — 3,290 nautical miles — in 6:12; Denver to Honolulu — 2,944 nautical miles — in 7:07; Oranjestad, Aruba, to Barcelona, Spain — 4,374 miles — in 8:56; and Tokyo to Hong Kong —1,694 nautical miles — in 3:58.

Large-cabin international captions Eric Parker, left, and Jaime Bahamon set a speed record in the Gulfstream G450 business jet, flying between Savannah, Georgia, and São Paulo in eight hours and 50 minutes. Photo credit: Gulfstream The Gulfstream G450 has established several city-to-city speed records since it entered service in May 2005. File Photo credit: Gulfstream

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