Global 7000 Almost Goes Supersonic!

For those of you that habitually read my articles and watch my videos on youtube, you know I love space travel and supersonic-hypersonic jets. I grew up watching Star Trek and Star Wars and love technology and flying.

Bombardier have been test flying their new Global 7000 prototype and have got it up to flying speeds of Mach 0.995 five months after launching the flight test programme. The Global 7000 is the largest business jet to come within five-thousandths of a Mach number below supersonic speed, the achievement shows the Global 7000 flight envelope is expanding.

The Global 7000, is powered by two GE Aviation Passport engines, will enter service in 2018 with a maximum operating speed of Mach 0.925, but the jet is flown beyond that limit in flight tests.

So far Bombardier has racked up 200 hours of flight testing their two Global 7000 prototypes —FTV1 and FTV2.

“Our flight test vehicles continue to show a high degree of maturity in testing, dispatching twice daily in many cases,” says Michel Ouellette, senior vice-president for the Global 7000 and Global 8000 programmes.

The first two prototypes feature the Global 7000’s fly-by-wire system and engine, and the first to be flown with a side-stick, instead of the traditional yoke. Bombardier announced in July 2015 a wing redesign that caused the programme to delay entry into service by two years.

The redesign reduced the weight of the wing, but the aerodynamics of the airfoils remain unchanged. The first flight of a prototype Global 7000 with the lighter-weight wing installed is expected this summer.

The Global 7000 is designed to fly distances up to 7,400nm, connecting you from New York to Mumbai and Sydney to San Francisco, fitting between the range of the Gulfstream G650 and G650ER. The Global 7000 is longer than either Gulfstream model, accommodating a fourth cabin zone. The price tag on this aircraft is of $72.4M, with first deliveries expecetd in 2018.

Fabrizio Poli is Managing Partner of Aircraft Trading Company Tyrus Wings. He is also an accomplished Airline Transport Pilot having flown both private Jets and for the airlines. Fabrizio is also a bestselling author and inspirational speaker & has been featured on Russia Today (RT), TRT World, Social Media Examiner, Bloomberg, Channel 5, Chicago Tribune, Daily Telegraph, City Wealth Magazine, Billionaire.com, Wealth X, Financial Times, El Financiero and many other Media offering insight on the aviation world. Fabrizio is also regularly featured as an Aviation Analyst on Russia Today (RT) and TRT World. Fabrizio is also aviation special correspondent for luxury magazine, Most Fabullous Magazine. Fabrizio is also considered one of the world's top 30 experts in using Linkedin for business. You can tune in weekly to Fabrizio's business Podcast Living Outside the Cube available both in video & audio. You can also follow Fabrizio's aviation videos on Tyrus Wings TV. Fabrizio's latest book "Health4Flyers", the first natural-health book for pilots, flights attendants and frequent flyers is now available worldwide.