SAVANNAH, Ga., February
26, 2010 — The second test article — known as T2 — took off from
Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport at 12:50 p.m. on Thursday,
Feb. 25, with senior experimental test pilots Gary Freeman and Scott
Buethe in the cockpit. The aircraft flew for 2 hours and 33 minutes,
reaching an altitude of 37,000 feet (11,278 m) and a speed of Mach 0.80
before landing back in Savannah.

In a company first, both G650 flight-test aircraft —
T2 and T1 — were airborne simultaneously and were tracked by dual
telemetry facilities in real time.

“T2 performed extremely well during the initial tests
of its integrated flight control system and handling,” said Pres Henne,
senior vice president, Programs, Engineering and Test, Gulfstream. “We
plan to make half a dozen flights to assess basic system functionality
before proceeding to more intensive testing.”

“The conditions were very gusty and blustery, yet
T2, like T1, handled great,” said Freeman. “To control the aircraft
precisely requires small, light control input from the pilot. It’s an
easy jet to fly.”

The G650 flight-test and certification plan involves
five aircraft and an estimated 1,800 hours of testing. Each aircraft is
used for a specific series of tests, with T1 focused on performance and
flight controls, T2 on systems and T3 on avionics. The two production
aircraft in the test program — P1 and P2 — will be used to evaluate the
interior systems and reduced vertical separation minimums (RVSMs),
respectively.

T1, which spent approximately six hours in the air on
Thursday, has completed 18 flights over more than 43 hours. The
aircraft has reached a maximum speed of Mach 0.90 and a top altitude of
47,000 feet (14,326 m). Test pilots are progressively opening the flight
envelope in conjunction with load testing of a ground-test airframe
designated S6.

Gulfstream expects to receive concurrent G650
certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and
European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) in 2011.

Gulfstream announced the G650 program on March 13,
2008. On Sept. 29, 2009, the aircraft rolled out under its own power in
front of a crowd of more than 7,000 people. It completed its first
flight on Nov. 25, 2009, and remains on schedule for entry-into-service
in 2012.

The G650 offers the longest range at the fastest
speed in its class. Powered by best-in-class Rolls-Royce BR725 engines,
the business jet is capable of traveling 7,000 nautical miles (12,964
km) at Mach 0.85 and has a maximum operating speed of Mach 0.925.