UPDATE 5:06 PM ET: Gulfstream has put out a formal release on the successful maiden flight of the G650. The vibration that prompted the precautionary landing was centered on a landing gear door.
UPDATE 2:45 PM ET: Early indications are that the unusual vibration that prompted the early landing was in the aircraft’s flap system.
UPDATE 2:22 PM ET: N650GA is back on the ground after what is being described by sources as a “unusual vibration”
caused “precautionary landing” at KSAV around 20 minutes into first flight.
UPDATE 2:07 PM ET: Two independent reports show N650GA back on the ground at KSAV after “apparently problem” caused “emergency landing”. Working to find details. (NOTE***The landing was never considered an emergency and was deemed precautionary after vibrations in the landing gear door were felt by the crew)
UPDATE 2:01 PM ET: Savannah Airport weather report:
METAR KSAV 251853Z 00000KT 10SM FEW070 SCT090 SCT110 OVC180 14/10 A3002 RMK AO2 RAB04E36 SLP165 P0000 T01390100
UPDATE 1:50 PM ET: Flightaware.com tracking just came alive with a GLF6 flying from KSAV to KSAV as Gulfstream 21 with a departure reported at 1:42 PM ET.
UPDATE 1:47 PM ET: Source reported at 1:42 PM that N650GA was airborne and first flight of the ultra long-range Gulfstream G650 business jet was underway from Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport.
UPDATE 1:37 PM ET: Source adds that first flight is now a go at 2 PM ET at KSAV.
UPDATE 1:25 PM ET: One source says that N650GA’s APU has been started and the crew is going through pre-flight preparations.
All signs point to Gulfstream flying its flagship G650 early this afternoon at the company’s Savannah, Georgia base, sources tell FlightBlogger.
The weather has begun to lift and Jake Howard, Tom Horn and flight engineer Bill Osborne may take the G650 (N650GA) into the sky for the first time around 1pm.
Weather at KSAV shows winds 350@7 kts. with few clouds at 1100 feet and a second broken level at 11000 feet.
I’m keeping a close watch on flightaware.com and the Savannah Airport Webcam as well, which happens to be pointed directly at the Gulfstream hangars.
Follow FlightBlogger on Twitter for the latest updates on G650 progress.
This post was originally published to the internet between 2007 and 2012. Links, images, and embedded media from that era may no longer function as intended.
This post originally appeared at Flightglobal.com from 2007 to 2012.