Bombardier Business Aircraft has announced that its Global 7000 aircraft programme completed the successful maiden flight of its first flight test vehicle (FTV1) on 4th November. This first flight marks the start of a flight test programme for the newest member of Bombardier’s Global aircraft family, which is scheduled to enter into service in the second half of 2018.

The Global 7000 flight test vehicle took off from Bombardier’s facility in Toronto under the command of Captain Ed Grabman, assisted by his co-pilot, Jeff Karnes and Flight Test Engineer Jason Nickel under clear conditions at 10:25 a.m. EST.

Dedicated to testing basic system functionality and assessing the handling and flying qualities of the aircraft, the flight lasted approximately 2 hours and 27 minutes, during which all flight controls were exercised, and the systems and aircraft performed as expected. The flight crew conducted a gradual climb to 20,000 feet (6,096 m) and the aircraft reached a planned test speed of 240 knots.   

The Global 7000 will feature a maximum operating speed of Mach 0.925 and will offer a range of 7,400 NM (13,705 km) at Mach 0.85 with eight passengers.

Service entry is scheduled for the second half of 2018.