Mar 14, 2008 10:30 AM
57,854
Enter your username and password.
The new Gulfstream 650 was unveiled yesterday at their Savannah factory. Yes Steve Jobs, yes Al Gore, yes Kevin Rose, this one can take you anywhere in the world with its 7,000 nautical miles range at a top speed of Mach 0.925 (704mph,) almost the speed of sound at a 41,000-feet altitude. You and your 99,600-pound cargo of, hmm, whatever you dirty rich people take around on trips: all your mountain bikes, your Bonos, and your carbon-footprint air fresheners or something. But don't put your current Gulfstreams on Craiglist yet, because there's a catch.
The increased speed and power comes from its dual Dual Rolls-Roice BR725 engines, which provide with 4.6% more thrust than its predecesor—the BR710—while being 33% quieter. It's not much better on the emissions front (sorry, Mr. Ex-Vicepresident): only 5% fewer NOx emissions and 10% less smoke.
The coolest thing about the Gulfstream 750, however, is the technology that goes in. The flight controls —with fly-by-wire and dual hydraulic backup controls—and their advanced vision system, which combines enhanced vision with synthetic 3D rendering (SV-PFD) to give you military-grade visual assistance.
The cockpit has a four large 14-inch displays, an LCD HUD II which provides with the enhanced vision you see above and the SV-PFD. The control of the multifunction displays is quite nice, with an analog pad built onto the pilot's joystick itself.
All state-of-the-art toys everywhere. The catch for the billionaires of this world? These technological wonders are not available today: the unveiled craft is a mock-up of the whole thing. The $58.5 million Gulfstream 650 won't be ready until 2012, which apparently will raise the total price for $65 million. Or, if you live in Europe, $101 million. [Gulfstream 650]
Send an email to Jesus Diaz, the author of this post, at jesus@gizmodo.com.
Original material is licensed under a Creative Commons License permitting non-commercial sharing with attribution.
Start a new discussion