G700 Claims Los Angeles-Farnborough City-Pair Record

Gulfstream says its flagship completed the transatlantic route 19 minutes faster than Bombardier’s Global 8000.

[Credit: Gulfstream]
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Key Takeaways:

  • Gulfstream's G700 completed a flight from Los Angeles to Farnborough, England, in 8 hours and 27 minutes at Mach 0.91, claiming a new speed record for the city pair.
  • This flight surpassed a recent Bombardier Global 8000 flight on the same route, which took 8 hours and 46 minutes.
  • Such city-pair flights are regularly used by business jet manufacturers to demonstrate high-speed cruise and long-range performance.
  • Gulfstream's announcement did not specify if the claimed speed record had been submitted for formal certification by the National Aeronautic Association.
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Gulfstream said Thursday its G700 completed a flight from Los Angeles to Farnborough, England, in 8 hours and 27 minutes, claiming a new speed record for the city pair. The aircraft averaged Mach 0.91 during the flight.

G700 Tops Recent Global 8000 Flight

The trip came shortly after Bombardier announced that a Global 8000 had flown the same route in 8 hours and 46 minutes. Bombardier said its aircraft reached Mach 0.93 and improved on the previous city-pair mark by 2.2%.

Business-jet manufacturers regularly use city-pair flights to demonstrate high-speed cruise and long-range performance, and aircraft can accumulate dozens of records across different routes.

Certification Status Unclear

Formal U.S. aviation records can be submitted to the National Aeronautic Association for review using flight data and independent observation. Gulfstream’s announcement did not say whether the G700 flight had been submitted for NAA certification.

Gulfstream lists the G700’s maximum operating speed at Mach 0.935 and a high-speed range of 6,650 nautical miles at Mach 0.90. Bombardier lists the Global 8000’s maximum speed at Mach 0.95 and a range of 8,000 nautical miles.

Matt Ryan

Matt is AVweb's lead editor. His eyes have been turned to the sky for as long as he can remember. Now a fixed-wing pilot, instructor and aviation writer, Matt also leads and teaches a high school aviation program in the Dallas area. Beyond his lifelong obsession with aviation, Matt loves to travel and has lived in Greece, Czechia and Germany for studies and for work.
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