Mark Burns, President Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation Heavy Iron Specialists: Gulftstream Aerospace Corporation Continued from page 11 ABJ Gulfstream participated in the January Sustainable Alternative Jet Fuel event in Van Nuys. What was Gulfstream’s incentive to be among the sponsors? MB Gulfstream has been a leader in the use of sustain- able alternative jet fuels (SAJF) since 2011 when a Gulfstream G450 became the first business jet to cross the Atlantic on biofuels. We’ve flown our fleet to NBAA-BACE using an SAJF blend and have even set records using the fuel. In 2015, we became the first business jet manufacturer to sign an agreement to have a consistent supply of renewable fuels available for our daily flight operations in Savannah and have used that fuel to power our corporate, demonstra- tion, flight-test, and Customer Support aircraft. In fact, we’ve flown more than 700,000 nautical miles on SAJF. And, we recently announced our first sale of SAJF to a customer at our Long Beach facility. Gulfstream sees SAJF as just one more element of its effort to support sustainability, meet company goals, and support the industry aim of reducing carbon dioxide emissions—a commitment we solidified in 2009 and reaffirmed at EBACE in 2018. Because we’ve been a leader in the space, participating in the event at Van Nuys was a natural next step to demonstrate the advancement and adoption of SAJF. It also offered our customers an opportunity to learn more about the use of SAJF in their aircraft, helping them with their sustainability efforts, as well. We’re proud to be part of our industry’s shared commitment to pursuing a more sustainable future. ABJ Sustainable alternative jet fuels are evolving technolo- gies. In your view, what are the next steps that need to be taken, beyond their proven safety and reliability? MB They are evolving technologies, but I believe we have repeatedly demonstrated the safety and reliability of SAJF. As a result, we’re now seeing growing demand for these fuels, as evidenced by our first sale of SAJF to a customer earlier this year. The increased demand requires that the industry—and those who support 34 it—turn their attention to increasing the production and distribution of the fuels, which should lead to greater adoption. Additionally, there’s a need for more production facilities throughout the United States, especially on the East Coast, and around the world. ABJ Gulfstream business jets have always incorporated innovative technologies. What are some specific exam- ples you can use to illustrate first-time applications of new technologies on a certificated business aircraft? MB Gulfstream has been a technology leader since 1958, when we introduced the first purpose-built business aircraft, the Gulfstream I. Since then, we’ve accom- plished several business-aviation firsts, including the first all-glass flight deck with the Gulfstream GIV, the first aircraft with FAA-approved enhanced and syn- thetic vision systems with the Gulfstream G550, and the world’s fastest, largest, and longest-range aircraft with the G650 and G650ER. Those aircraft define ultralong-range, high-speed travel and today have earned nearly 90 city-pair speed records, demonstrat- ing their tremendous performance prowess. The same holds true for our newest aircraft family, the Gulfstream G500 and Gulfstream G600. The new Gulfstream G500, which has been certified by the FAA, offers operators the Symmetry Flight Deck™—the most advanced cockpit in business aviation. It is also included on the Gulfstream G600 which is nearing certification. The Symmetry Flight Deck incorporates 10 touch screens, the most extensive use of this technology among business jets. Touch screens greatly reduce the number of switches required in the flight deck and they add functionality by creating an intuitive, phase-of-flight environment that helps pilots quickly and seamlessly navigate the systems and menus. The touch screens structure the avionics input options to coordinate with the aircraft’s phase of flight. One obvious advantage is that pilots can now cold-start the airplane in approximately 10 minutes, half the time it takes without this innovation. Aviation Business Journal | Spring 2019
