Once in a while a story writes itself, especially handy for those of us to whom writing is a more casual pursuit than a means of existence.  Having flown every model of the larger Gulfstream family (G1-G550), I always knew that the G350 would be a good product.  What I was not prepared for was how formidable this new aircraft actually turns out to be. 

Most pilot reviews are the result of a short supervised flight with factory pilots.  In this unique situation we took delivery of the first G350 and operated the “N” registered aircraft for more than one hundred hours of domestic and Latin American operations during a four month period. 

Essentially, the G350 is a G550 blended into the airframe of a very clean, slightly longer GIV equipped with FADEC engines.  The standard G350 lacks the HUD-EVS of its “big sisters” but packs a powerful and balanced punch of performance and value.  Perhaps it was this dual attribute that attracted the attention of Juan Jose Gutiérrez and his brother, Dionisio.  Together, they run a number of businesses including the booming “Pollo Campero”, a Guatemalan restaurant franchise that offers fast food within a full service environment.   That theme and some of the best chicken you will ever taste have driven rapid growth in the US and are turning the Central American “Pollo Campero” into something of a brushfire in China, Indonesia and Europe.

The Gutiérrez family has a long history with and love of aviation.   Their father was a life-long pilot and advocate of aviation while their mother, Esperanza, was the first lady pilot in Guatemala to receive instrument and multi-engine ratings.

Following in their parent’s footsteps, Juan Jose and Dionisio Gutiérrez are licensed pilots and fly their A-Star helicopter.  Each brother has logged about 2000 hours since 1980.  With ninety restaurants in Guatemala, they use their helicopter to visit 36 of the “Pollo Campero” locations beyond metropolitan Guatemala City. 

Sadly, it was the loss of their father, flying a post hurricane relief mission to neighboring Honduras, in 1974, that bequeaths the Gutiérrez family an enduring vision of safety and passion to use the latest tools that technology can deliver.  The spirit of commitment to their community runs as strongly today as when their father sacrificed all that he had for others.  During the recent floods and mudslides, caused by Hurricane Stan, the Gutiérrez brothers and Francisco cancelled a regional business trip electing to stay and help their citizens after surveying the devastation with their helicopter. 

The “Pollo Campero” flight department is a “safety first” world class operation.  The Guatemala City (MGGT) hangar would be envied by anyone in HPN or VNY.  Such superlatives accrue equally to the vision of the brothers and their aviation manager, Francisco Castillo.  The three have known each other since school days, forming an uncommonly close and mutually beneficial bond. 

In selecting the G350, they have a large cabin aircraft whose high speed cruise puts ninety plus percent of the populated Americas within their easy, non-stop reach.  Flexibility and economics are of fundamental importance when you are an aggressive company opening new markets at a pace unexpected of your capitalization--and especially from your region.   The Gutiérrez family was able to attend the opening of their newest restaurant, in Chicago—arriving from several corners of North and Central America.  As with other recent US openings, the Chicago “Pollo Campero” franchise made front page headlines and sprang block-long queues of hungry patrons for days. 

Beyond the Americas, the Gutiérrez brothers have opened a two-front campaign that is as impressive in its numbers as it is in its geography.  Madrid will be the epi-center of “Pollo Campero’s” European expansion; while, their Asian “blitz” is split between China and Indonesia.   The Chinese market plan includes 500 units over the next five years and Jakarta alone plans sixty units in the same period.  As they expand into these targeted growth markets, the Gutiérrez family will be able to make much of Western Europe and back with one stop and their Asian markets with two stops.  That makes the G350 the sensible choice for a company balancing operational and capital objectives.  Besides they are just as likely to foster new franchises with those fuel stops.

Using the company aircraft, Juan Jose and Dionisio are able to visit all their US locations in a matter of days with the frequency required of new business launches.  Conducting onboard business meetings is easy in a cabin that is of identical size to the G450’s hallmark interior.  The G350 owner simply has fewer layouts and standard equipment than the more expensive models.  Such economies are part of the marketing mix to bring the aircraft into a competitive pricing with models offered by other manufacturers (the Falcon 2000 and Challenger 604) and dovetails with the Gutiérrez family’s fiscal planning. 

At a taxiing glance the G350 might slip by as just another GIV.  However, as you study this newest member of the Gulfstream family, the differences with the GIV are abundant.  The drag laden windscreen wipers are history, replaced by the faired blower doors of the GV and G550.  The outflow valve has been removed and a TROV (Thrust Recovery Outflow Valve) installed in its place.  The amount of thrust recovered is widely debated by pilots (and often equated with Mouse Flatulence) but the reduction in drag is significant—since the old outflow “plume” used to affect a good area of the wing.  Exhausting air into a laminar flow, along the fuselage, makes imminent sense in further refinement of this legendary airframe.  Externally, only the lack of a EVS chin bubble visibly distinguishes the standard G350 from its more expensive nearly twin sister, the G450. 

All 350’s start life as 450’s and are subsequently “de-moded” to become the 350.  This includes modifications to the fuel tanks, takeoff weights, performance software and not installing the HUD-EVS, unless it has been selected as a customer option.

The engine nacelles now sport strakes (ala the MD87) that might be missed altogether and assist in management of compressibility effects.  The G350 / G450 wing bear less than half the vortex generators of the venerable GIV and those above the flight deck have disappeared altogether. 

Making a left turn through the main door (newly relocated ala the G550) reveals the true magic on several levels.  At long last, pilots do not have to slither into their seats like a hermit crab to its barrowed shell—since the relocated door finally provides ample space for crewmembers, especially on longer missions.  The pilot is able to track his/her seat well beyond the reach of rudder pedals while entering and exiting and is fabulously comfortable during cruise.   Flight observers have a newly designed jumpseat (identical with the G550) that requires practice to deploy or stow but is as comfortable as the design it replaced from the GV. 

But by far, the biggest change is the four 14” LCD displays that are the focal point of any tour and as colorful as a marine aquarium.  The flexibility and clarity of the displays are as impressive as the multiple input methods pilots can use to interface with them.

The G350 we flew was delivered with “Cert Bravo” software.  By the time of publication, most G350-450 aircraft will be operating “Cert Charlie”.  The differences are numerous although the most obvious differences will be the inclusion of performance data, uplink weather that can overlay the Nav Display, the Vertical Situation Display (VSD), and the Envelope Protection System (EPS). 

During our operations, Takeoff Initialization of the flight management system included manual entry of takeoff speeds from the Quick Reference Handbook (QRH).  With Cert Charlie, Performance and Takeoff Init generate numbers as have all large Gulfstream products since the early nineties.

The “Cert Charlie” uplink weather includes winds, radar and satellite imagery.  This information display results in enhanced pilot information and provides an effective decision support tool in real-time altitude and route choices.  Because increased band-width is not yet fully available, downloads are lengthy; hence, operators are encouraged to prioritize needs and make selective requests.  The up-side is that your relevant information is displayed as an integral part of the I-Nav display.

The Vertical Situation Display is an evolution and melding of multiple technologies.  VSD will display terrain under the flight track up to +/-1 of the current RNP value with the LNAV and FMS selected as the coupled source to the autopilot.  The display annunciates and changes color (to green TRACK) if you are maneuvering and will shift to an amber TRACK annunciation if the EPU (Estimated Position of Uncertainty) exceeds the RNP.  Along with some other slick features VSD contributes to unprecedented situational awareness for the crew.

The Envelope Protection System is intended for speed protection with the autopilot engaged.  Complete integration, which includes automatically engaging the Auto-throttles over a number of configurations to protect the aircraft from Over-speed and under-speed conditions, will arrive with Cert Delta. 

There are a great many other features to Cert Charlie and Cert Delta is due out around third quarter 2006.  Cert Delta software upgrade is the last of those included with the purchase of aircraft although Gulfstream plan other upgrades that will be optional for clients in the future.

Pilots transitioning from earlier GIV-GV flight decks will find the “FMS” sporting a new acronym (of course) and the MCDU’s six line select keys on each side.  Some pages are familiar in general structure but there are many new pages and accordingly more selections possible.  Perhaps the greatest change is delivered in the newly formatted Datalink pages and functionality—crucial as we finally begin the long haul to CNS-ATM and ADS. 

That being said, the greatest impediment will likely be that the NEXT & PREV keys are now configured “over/under” instead of linear (L to R).  I was not aware of muscle memory until stabbing at what I thought was NEXT only to keep reverting to the FLT PLN home page.  Perhaps I might also be reminded by my own admonition to pilots both experienced in a type and those learning a new type, “The goal is accuracy, not speed”.

The Display Controllers (DC’s) present similar issues, since the pages now control significantly more functions on the four screens.  In many cases, you can action changes to the displays via the DC’s.  Range selection for the Navigation Displays is either via the (now un-calibrated) RNGE knob on the Radar Controller, OR via the new Cursor Control Device (CCD).  Once you figure out the logic of the CCD Scroll / Range knob, pilots start interacting with the CCD in a learning curve that equates fairly to a quick uphill jaunt. 

Three buttons across the top of each CCD, allow a pilot to control (outboard to inboard) On Side PFD (Primary Flight Display), On Side ND (Nav Display) and the Off Side ND.  That ensures that the paramount “No No” is respected, “Don’t You mess with My PFD”. 

The configuration and flexibility of displays offers crews the ability to display or move information in a potentially endless number of combinations.  Hence, most operators will evolve SOP’s that suggest typical configurations so that all crewmembers can predict where information will be displayed under normal circumstances.  

About the biggest mistake I see and occasionally fall victim to, is to answer ATC with useless squeeze of the CCD Trigger--which may pull down a menu but does nothing with the radios.  There actually is a thumb operated transmit button on the CCD that is clearly marked and easily identified in a few flights.  The CCD requires use of the same hand that we pilots normally reserve for the yoke.  The subliminal message may be that, if you are hand flying, let the PNF do whatever it is that you desire or engage the autopilot and manage your work load differently.  Whether that message was intentional or accidental, I will not speculate.  At the end of the day, it takes no time at all for this to feel as natural as a flare.  

Stability was always the forte’ of the GIV (despite formidable stick forces to modify any flight path) and while that has not changed, the G350 “is not your father’s GIV”.  It has all the stability you loved about the GIV combined with the lighter lateral and pitch control forces of the GV.  Most of the time the G350 looked and felt nearly identical to the GV-G550.   The G350 adopts the same Vref+5 approach additive as the GV.  Combined with Vref speeds 3 to 4 knots slower than the GIV, your approach speeds will average nearly ten knots lower than the GIV—that is quite an improvement from my point of view.  However, the similarity to the G550 doesn’t end there. 

The G350/450 auto-throttles are designed to be left engaged until touchdown—just like the GV and G550.  Thus, paired with the 50’ AGL “RETARD” mode and a ground effect unaccountably similar to the GV, it settles to the runway, more consistently than the GIV, with a touch of backpressure no greater than it might take to lift a loved one’s chin.

In fact, one of the largest stones one could throw at the G350-450 is the slightly lower effectiveness of the thrust reversers.  However, I will gladly trade that aspersion for the elimination of “tail shake” and predictability of “reverse idle” delivered by FADEC.  Added to that is the impression that both these factors reduce the chances of the nose falling down after the touchdown.  While most GIV pilots have learned to counter this with a variety of techniques, we did not have the slightest problem in scores of landings with the G350.

The G350 enjoys high system commonality with the G550, sufficiently so that the core type rating is now based upon the GV (and G550).  Thus with differences training, one trained crewmember could fly GV, G350, G450, G500, and G550 with the same annual certification renewal.  That may compel a number of operators to combine mixed fleets of shorter ranged G350-450 with longer range cousins (GV-G550). 

In the hydraulic system, the Aux Pump (used for closing the door and some ground service requirements) and HMG (used for emergency electrical power generation) have both been moved to the aft equipment area.  That has made the Aux Pump almost inaudible both inside the aircraft and out.

The ECS (Environmental Control System) is one of those systems nearly identical to the GV-G550.  Synoptic displays allow for clear and easy monitoring and consistent management of temperature in all three zones.  There was one curious aspect in ground ops.  During the hot, humid Florida summer the air conditioning system periodically ejected rice sized pellets of ice that audibly rattled through the ducts, (like mice) depositing them at our feet--more of a curiosity than inconvenience. 

One issue of our increasingly technical world is that we often solve one issue with technology and find that our solutions sprout other issues.   The very complexity of any new aircraft’s systems, which are essentially a herd of computers, could potentially lower dispatch reliability and drive the need that every maintenance tech be half geek.  It was abundantly clear that this level of technology represents a paradigm shift for maintenance personnel as well as pilots.  In the first two months, we had some delayed departures and frustrations.  However, once the computers “nested” with one another, the aircraft resumed the robust reliability one has always associated with the G4 and this hallmark family of aircraft.

Also, typical of new aircraft and our FAA’s long RVSM approval time, we were destined to operate the Group I aircraft the same as an ancient jet.  Paradoxically, that actually helped us better appreciate the flexibility of Gulfstream’s latest power tool.  We were able to fuel for eastbound trans-continental flights that might be restricted to FL270, yet still climb directly to FL430 and cruise at M.83. 

All this “hair on fire” performance comes at fuel burn rates similar to what your GIV burns at M80.  Of course there is also the difference in fuel load.  At maximum fuel the G350 holds 26,000 pounds—3,500 pounds less than the G450.  Given some of the higher field elevations and obstacles clearance requirements of many Central American airports, G450’s (or any other aircraft) would not be able to take off at full fuel loads.  That makes the G350 a better overall performer in “hot and high” conditions.  (see attached graphics)

With 8 pax, 400 pounds of baggage and 26,000 pounds of fuel, you’ll have enough range to go to cover an impressive array of city pairs—whether you are based in Central America, Denver, New York or LA.  (see attached graphics)

The G350 was built for a “price point” in the market; yet, she delivers in every respect that the Gutiérrez family and Pollo Campero Group require in the acquisition of their latest growth stock.