Gulfstream Aerospace delivered the first G500 on September 27 to a North American customer, officially marking the arrival of a new generation of large-cabin business jets at the Savannah, Georgia-based company. The customer took delivery of the fly-by-wire twinjet just shy of four years after the G500 and its larger, longer-legged sibling—the G600—were announced.

“We’re proud of the work we and our suppliers have done to deliver a technologically advanced, clean-sheet aircraft that exceeds our customers’ expectations and continues the longstanding Gulfstream tradition of excellence,” said Gulfstream president Mark Burns.

The G500, which received both its FAA type and production certificates on July 20, enters service meeting both its performance and cabin comfort guarantees. A flight-test fleet of five G500s logged more than 5,000 hours for company and FAA development, demonstration, and certification testing. In addition, the G500 also established more than 20 new city-pair speed records during a high-speed world tour earlier this year.

Meanwhile, the G600 is progressing toward certification by year-end, with deliveries to follow in 2019.