Flight testing of the Bombardier Global 7000 business jet is progressing as planned and has surpassed the 500-hour milestone.
Flight testing of the Bombardier Global 7000 business jet is progressing as planned and has surpassed the 500-hour milestone.
With three flight test vehicles (FTVs) in flight testing and two remaining FTVs to join shortly, the Global 7000 aircraft program is on track to meet the aircraft’s targeted entry-into-service in the second half of 2018.
Bombardier also confirmed that the first several customer aircraft are progressing smoothly through production, with four Global 7000 business jets currently in final assembly at the Bombardier facility in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
In November 2016, Bombardier began flight testing its state-of-the-art Global 7000 business jet with the maiden flight of first flight test vehicle 1 (FTV1). FTV1 came close to surpassing the speed of sound, reaching M 0.995 during a test flight in March 2017 – the largest business jet to operate so close to the sound barrier.
The second flight test vehicle (FTV2) and third flight test vehicle (FTV3) joined the program in March and May 2017, respectively.
The comprehensive testing conducted using the three FTVs over the course of the 500 flight hours has demonstrated the capability of the aircraft’s propulsion, avionics, electrical and mechanical systems. This testing will account for the majority of the certification requirements.
Two remaining flight test vehicles, FTV4 and FTV5, are currently in final assembly and Flight Validation Testing in a dedicated pre-flight bay and are on track to join the other aircraft at Bombardier’s world-class flight test centre in Wichita, Kansas.
The advanced wing design on the Global 7000 aircraft was conceived to optimize speed, range and control and ensure an exceptionally smooth ride.
With its impressive long-range capability of 7,400 nm (13,705 km) at M 0.85, it can fly eight passengers non-stop from London to Singapore or Dubai to New York City with a maximum operating speed of M 0.925.
