A Gulfstream G200 business jet recently set two city-pair speed records, connecting Savannah, Ga., to Keflavik, Iceland, and Keflavik to Vnukovo, Russia.
The large-cabin, mid-range G200 took off from Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport on Sept. 13 and flew 2,915 nautical miles northeast, with 32-knot tailwinds, at an average speed of Mach 0.75. It landed 6 hours and 28 minutes later at Keflavik International Airport. The average speed is slightly greater than 450 knots per hour.
Piloting the G200 were international demonstration captains Erik Kauber and Nicholas Rose. On board the aircraft were flight attendant Jeanette Brewer and four passengers.
The same day, the same flight crew and passengers boarded the G200 for a flight of 1,827 nautical miles from Keflavik to Vnukovo, near Moscow. The aircraft left Iceland traveling eastbound at Mach 0.80, arriving 4 hours, 16 minutes later in Vnukovo.
The National Aeronautic Association confirmed the flights as U.S. records and forwarded the figures to the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale in Switzerland for approval as world records.