The Gulfstream G280, a derivative from the smaller G200 that was based on the Israel Aircraft Industries Galaxy, now has a provisional type certificate from the FAA. Original plans called for the aircraft to be certified in 2011.
The aircraft’s name was changed from the Gulfstream G250 last year after it was discovered that in Mandarin the number 250 is an insult applied to a stupid person.
The aircraft first flew at the Israel Aircraft Industries in Israel. It received a provisional type certificate from Israel’s Civil Aviation Authority at the end of December 2011. Use of provisional type certificates is a common practice. Full type certification is expected later this year, to be followed immediately by first deliveries, after an update to the aircraft’s glass-cockpit avionics.
The aircraft was announced in 2008. Its range is 3,600 nautical miles (6,667 km) at Mach 0.80, an increase of 200 nautical miles over original projections. Its balanced field length is 210 feet better than originally announced, allowing it to take off from runways of 4,750 feet (1,448 m). That’s an improvement of more than 1,300 feet compared to the aircraft it replaces, the G200.
Serial number 2004, the first production aircraft, was outfitted and painted last year for an appearance at the 2011 National Business Aviation Association convention in Las Vegas. It is undergoing final upgrades in anticipation of its delivery later this year.
