Bombardier’s new flagship business jet, the Global 7000 has flown for the first time
The aircraft under control of captain Ed Grabman, co-pilot Jeff Karnes and flight-test engineer Jason Nickel completed a two-hour, 27-minute flight from the company’s facility in Toronto.
The Global 7000 business jet climbed to 20,000 feet and reached the planned test speed of 240 knots. During the flight the crew tested basic system functionality and assessed the handling and flying qualities.
Business Aircraft President David Coleal commented: “The first flight is the culmination of an incredible amount of knowledge and experience from our dedicated employees, partners and suppliers,”
“This is a proud moment for Bombardier and confirms the Global 7000 aircraft program development is on schedule.”
A flight-test program will now take place leading up to a release to market late 2018, early 2019.
The Global 7000 will be offered as the premier Bombardier business jet model. The aircraft is expected to have 7,400 nm range and a speed of Mach 0.925.
Bombardier has not released specific order numbers for the $72.5 million jet, executives have noted that the 7000/8000 program has been a large contributor to Bombardier’s Business Aircraft backlog, which at midyear stood at $17 billion.
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