Gulfstream recently completed mating the wing to the fuselage of the first G600 flight-test aircraft and says it is making such good progress with development of the new jet that it believes it might be able to bring forward the planned first flight from next year to late this year. During a press briefing at the ABACE show in Shanghai on Monday, the company also reported that it now holds FAA type inspection authorization for inlet compatibility on the new G500, giving it certification credit for testing of the inlet system on its Pratt & Whitney Canada PW814GA engines.

The four airplanes in the G500 flight-test fleet have completed 195 flights so far, logging more than 800 hours of flying time. Flight-test article T1, which has made forays to Mach 0.995 and 53,000 feet, has completed flutter testing and initial stall and ice-shapes testing. It is now focused on envelope expansion and flying qualities testing. T2 is now working on flight loads validation and systems testing. T3 has finished cold-soak testing and is undergoing wing anti-ice system and Symmetry flight deck testing. T4 is being used to test avionics, flammable fuel drainage, water ingestion and water/waste, lighting and fire-protection systems, and it has been updated to the latest avionics software update.

The first production G500, P1, is being outfitted with a complete interior at Gulfstream headquarters in Savannah, Ga., for testing of cabin elements.