The G280 earned its type certification from the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) on Aug. 30, 2012, and entered service on Nov. 13, 2012. With a range of 3,600 nautical miles (6,667 km), the aircraft was the only super mid-sized business jet that could reliably fly nonstop from London to New York. The G280 also […]
First Flight of the Cessna Citation II
Cessna Citation is a marketing name used by Cessna for several “families” of turbofan-powered jets that have been produced over the years. The Cessna Citation II was a direct development of the Citation I. It was also the first of the Model 550 series of light corporate jets. The Citation II had an increased seating […]
Gulfstream G650’s Flight Test
The high Mach number was achieved to validate the aircraft’s maximum speed for stability characteristics, a requirement for receiving a Certificate of Airworthiness from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). Such high speeds were outside the aircraft’s normal flight envelope. The G650’s maximum allowable Mach number at the time was Mach 0.925. Before this first test […]
Gulfstream G280 Set Record On SAJF Renewable Fuel
On January 17, 2019, a Gulfstream G280 aircraft used sustainable alternative jet fuel (SAJF) to complete a 4 hour-and-49 minutes record-breaking flight by . The aircraft departed Savannah and landed in Van Nuys, California, covering a distance of 2,243 nautical miles. The G280 showed continued high performance with SAJF by flying through headwinds averaging […]
The Jet “Spirit of America” SetsWorld Record For Circumnavigation
On January 10, 1982, a Gulfstream III jet set a world’s record of 47 hours and 39 minutes for circumnavigation of the world. The jet known as the “Spirit of America,” departed Teterboro airport at 5:43 a.m. on January 8, 1982 with 10 persons aboard and completed the flight on January 10, 1982 at 5:21 […]
First Commercial Nonstop Flight
Reducing the Risk of Midair Collisions
On December 27, 1978, Former United States Secretary of Transportation Brock Adams announced a comprehensive regulatory program to improve aviation safety by reducing the risk of midair collisions in U.S. airspace by 80.00%. The announcement followed a tragic collision over San Diego between a Pacific Southwest Airlines jet and a private aircraft that occurred on […]
Aboard the Rutan Model 76 Voyager, on December 14, 1986, Dick Rutan and Jeana Yeager took off from Edwards Air Force Base. On December 23, 1986 at 8:06 AM, after nine days, three minutes and 44 seconds from take-off, they landed in the same airfield, they set a flight endurance reord. The Voyager was […]
New York Municipal Airport Opening
First Chimpanzee to Orbit Earth
Fun Fact Friday: In 1961, the first chimpanzee orbited Earth on NASA’s Mercury-Atlas 5 (MA-5) mission. This needed to be done before an astronaut could be orbited in the Mercury capsule. The chimpanzee performed a series of learned tasks on its journey, which showed that humans would have a limited functional capability in space.