Gulfstream (Chalet A144) is claiming three new city-pair records for the G650 demonstrator flown to the Paris Air Show, and three records for the super-midsize G280 that is also on Gulfstream’s static display (Static N). These record flights await official confirmation by the National Aeronautic Association (NAA). The company also announced that it has opened a new sales and design center in London.

The new design center supplements Gulfstream’s existing centers at its Savannah, Georgia headquarters and at its Dallas, Texas facility. Located in London’s Mayfair district, the center is Gulfstream’s first outside the U.S. and makes it more convenient for international customers to interact with Gulfstream sales and design staff.

The London center’s 5,500-foot showroom is stocked with samples of leather, veneer, fabric and carpet selections. Customer offices and a conference room are also available. Gulfstream regional senior vice president Trevor Esling heads up the London office and is responsible for international sales for Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

“Because of London’s stature as one of the world’s financial and cultural capitals,” said Scott Neal, Gulfstream senior vice president of sales and marketing, “many of our customers and potential customers worldwide have business interests there and visit frequently or have a residence in the area.”

The demonstrator G650 entered service in January and has already visited 75 cities in 27 countries, flying a total of 334 hours and 142,000 nm. The most significant record was achieved when the aircraft landed at Le Bourget on Saturday morning with three crew and five passengers after a 3,899 nm flight from Savanna, Georgia. Flying at an average speed of Mach 0.90, the G650 completed the trip in seven hours, 12 minutes, an hour less than the previous record flight, held for 25 years by a GIV. “This record demonstrates the G650’s tremendous speed and range,” said Gulfstream sales and marketing vice-president Scott Neal. “But it also says a lot for the capabilities of the GIV, which was ahead of its time in terms of technology and innovation.”

In May, the G650 flew from the Cote d’Azur airport in Nice to São Paulo in 11 hours, 10 minutes. Three passengers and four crew were on board for the 5,527-nm flight, which reached an altitude of 47,000 feet. “This is a very important city-pair for our customers in South America who travel regularly to Europe,” said Neal. Three weeks earlier, the G650 had accomplished the 4,940-nm Las Vegas-Madrid leg in nine hours, 14 minutes, averaging Mach 0.9.

Meanwhile, a Gulfstream G280 super-midsized business jet set its own city-pair record after flying 3,538 nm from Bedford, Mass., to Poland’s Bydgoszcz airport on June 9. In May it set two other such records after flying from Newark Airport in New Jersey to Geneva for the EBACE show.