Bombardier Global 5000 Sets Transatlantic Speed Record

The Bombardier Global 5000 has set a new speed record, flying 3,510 nautical miles (6,500 km) non-stop from Chicago to Paris in just 7 hours, 15 minutes, firmly establishing itself as the world's fastest intercontinental business jet and the fastest transcontinental civil aircraft since the Concorde. The Bombardier Global 5000 business jet, equipped with a production interior, departed Chicago's Palwaukee Airport with a four-person crew, and a payload of 1,600 pounds (727 kg), equivalent to eight passengers. The aircraft cruised at Mach 0.88 or higher throughout the flight, experienced moderate tailwinds, and landed at Le Bourget Airport in Paris with fuel reserves in excess of NBAA IFR requirements. The record-breaking flight was fully sanctioned by the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) and the Fédération Aéronautique internationale (FAI).

"The aircraft performed superbly on takeoff from Palwaukee airport's 5,000 foot (1,525 m) runway at 20:49 CDT and climbed directly to 41,000 ft (12,500 m)," stated Roger Noble, assistant chief pilot, Global Express aircraft, Bombardier Business Aircraft, and pilot-in-command on the flight. "This flight clearly demonstrates the Global 5000's superior speed, range and handling capabilities. We arrived in Paris at 11:04 CEST, easily meeting the aircraft's class-leading performance standards first announced at its February 2002 launch."

This is the third NAA-sanctioned world record flight for the Bombardier Global 5000 business jet. The previous two records were route/distance-proving flights. On July 16, 2004, a Bombardier Global 5000 aircraft flew 4,816 nautical miles (8,919 km) non-stop linking San Francisco-London in 9 hours, 34 minutes, while on October 12, 2004, the same aircraft flew 4,597 nautical miles (8,513 km) non-stop against fierce headwinds linking Dublin-Las Vegas in 9 hours, 55 minutes. Both previous records were performed at a speed of Mach 0.85 (562 mph; 904 km/h).

The new high-speed Bombardier Global 5000 business jet is capable of executing transcontinental missions at speeds up to M 0.89. The benefit of the aircraft's category-leading speed is most evident on non-stop intercontinental flights. Compared to other jets in its class, it trims up to a full hour from long distance routes such as Moscow-New York in 9 hours, 29 minutes, Johannesburg-Geneva in 10 hours, Jeddah-Jakarta in 9 hours, 53 minutes and Sao Paulo-Madrid in 9 hours, 20 minutes.

The first Bombardier Global 5000 business jet entered into service April 18, 2005 with a corporate operator based in the Middle East. The milestone delivery marks the beginning of a new era combining high-speed intercontinental travel with an unprecedented focus on cabin productivity.

The aircraft flies passenger in ultimate comfort - featuring the widest and most spacious cabin paired with the most technologically advanced cabin electronic system available today.

The Bombardier Global 5000 cabin includes optional body contouring Visco-elastic materials for the seat upholstery, full spectrum LED lighting and the first-ever Ethernet-based Airshow 21 application, offering a highly productive working environment, as well as unmatched entertainment options.