The flight crew consisted of Horne, Bud Ball, John
McGrath, Ross Oetjen and Eric Parker. Each was on the
aircraft for the duration of the flight. The G650 also
carried Kris Maynard as the official observer for the
NAA. Gulfstream personnel who assisted the
flight crew along the route were Bruce Egart and Les
Lawrence in Guam; Ahmed Ragheb and Alberto Bernaola in
Dubai; and Michael Jarrett and Keith Powell in Cape
Verde.
In
addition, more than 30 company employees were involved
in the planning and execution of the record flight.
Fixed base operators San Diego Jet Center, Guam Flight
Services, Jet Aviation Dubai and Cape Verde’s Safeport
Executive made sure the G650’s ground times were
minimal.
The C-1.l class is for aircraft with takeoff weights of
77,162 to 99,208 pounds.
The G650 joins the Gulfstream IV on the NAA’s
around-the-world record rolls. In 1987, the GIV circled
the globe in 45 hours, 25 minutes, a mark that still
stands in the C-1.k aircraft class (takeoff weights of
55,116 to 77,162 pounds). The GIV also holds the same
classification’s eastbound record of 36 hours, 9 minutes
set in 1988.
The G650 offers the longest range, fastest speed,
largest cabin and the most advanced cockpit in the
Gulfstream fleet.
The G650 can travel 7,000 nm at 0.85 Mach and has
a maximum operating speed of Mach 0.925.
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