Following a year that saw record sales for its super-midsize G280 business jet, Gulfstream has announced safety and comfort enhancements for the aircraft. A key improvement is a reduction of cabin altitude, from 6,000ft (1,829m) to 4,800ft (1,463m) at a 41,000ft (12,497m) cruising altitude. Gulfstream attributes the achievement to “ongoing research and development coupled with excellence in interior outfitting”.
The lower cabin altitude will be available on new G280s from mid-2023, and for existing customers as an optional retrofit, as will new exterior LED lights. The lights are intended to bolster aircraft safety through increased visibility in flight and during ground operations, while also reducing maintenance requirements and improving reliability.
These latest enhancements are in addition to various other new features introduced to the G280 over the past year, including a plasma ionisation clean air system, which is designed to neutralise pathogens and allergens in the cabin. Gulfstream’s Controller-Pilot Datalink Communication (CPDLC) is also now FANS-E compliant; while vertical separation minimum validation intervals have increased from 24 to 96 months to reduce aircraft downtime.
The avionics upgrade V3.6.1 for the G280 also gives access to SiriusXM graphical weather with real-time updates; dual electronic charts to help create a paperless flight deck and reduce pilot workload; a surface management system; and access to vertical weather and predictive windshear information.
