Gulfstream G550 After a production run spanning 18 years, Gulfstream delivered the final commercial G550 to an international customer on June 30. (Photo: Gulfstream) Nearly two decades after it first entered service, Gulfstream G550 saw its final commercial delivery this week. The Savannah, Georgia airframer has produced more than 600 of the large-cabin twinjets since receiving its type and production certificates in August 2003. According to a company spokesperson, while some special-missions variants continue to undergo modifications, this week's delivery ended G550 production. First announced in 1999 as a derivative of the GV, the G550 (formerly GV-SP) was the launch platform for the company’s PlaneView flight deck and was also certified with an enhanced vision system as a standard safety feature, paving the way for its incorporation into future aircraft designs. With a range of 6,750 nm at Mach 0.80, the type earned more than 50 speed records. It served as the top of the Gulfstream line until the certification of the G650 in 2012. According to JetNet, 603 G550s remain in service worldwide. “The Gulfstream G550 set a new standard for performance and reliability and continues to outperform and impress with its wide-ranging capabilities,” said company president Mark Burns. “Given our vast G550 fleet in service, we look to continuing to support all G550 customers around the world with Gulfstream Customer Support’s extensive network.” Development of the Gulfstream G550 G550 cabin The G550 (GV-SP) with improved engines received its FAA type certificate on August 14, 2003. In 2014, Gulfstream looked at a re-engine with the Rolls-Royce Pearl BR700 development announced in May 2018 for the new Global Express 5500 and 6500 variants but preferred the BR725-powered, 7,500 nmi G650. The 500th Gulfstream G550

Dassault's third flight-test Falcon 6X took to the skies on June 24. The twinjet has a full interior and will be used to test in-flight entertainment and communications systems, as well as evaluate environmental features and temperature control and validate cabin acoustics systems. (Photo: Dassault Aviation) The third flight-test Falcon 6X, registered as F-WAVE, took to the skies late last week, edging Dassault Aviation’s 5,500-nm, large-cabin twinjet one step closer to its planned certification next year. S/N 3, which has a full interior and will be used for cabin design validation, made its inaugural flight on June 24, attaining an altitude of FL400 and speeds up to Mach 0.85, the French aircraft manufacturer announced on Thursday. This follows the first Falcon 6X that flew on March 10 and the second on April 30. To date, these two aircraft have accumulated more than 130 flight-test hours at a rate of two to three flights a week, with envelope expansion now nearly complete, according to Dassault. “This latest flight is yet another sign of the smooth progress we have been making with the Falcon 6X test program,” said Dassault Aviation chairman and CEO Eric Trappier. “We have been consistently impressed with the flight performance and handling of the Falcon 6X and the reliability of aircraft systems.” S/N 3 will be used to test in-flight entertainment and communications systems, as well as evaluate environmental features and temperature control and validate cabin acoustics systems, the company said. A fourth flight-test Falcon 6X, which will also have a full interior, is currently being outfitted at Dassault’s site in Mérignac, France. This aircraft will conduct a two-month global endurance flight campaign to ensure that all Falcon 6X systems are fully mature