Global 5000 | Article

Global 5000

The Global 5000 is Bombardier’s leaner, faster version of their ultra-long range Global Express. It maintains the strengths of the Global Express – comfort, reliability, and speed – but cuts back from the 6,075 nautical mile range of its predecessor (range calculated with 8 passengers, 3 crew members, NBAA IFR reserves, and a 200 nm alternate). The Global 5000 is the perfect option for those who need a fast, high-quality private jet of superior quality and transoceanic range but who do not need to fly more than ten hours nonstop. The Global 5000 is in every way a private jet of the highest quality: everything from its cabin to its flight deck is top notch.

A cursory glance at the Global 5000’s cabin indicates that it was designed to carry its passengers in comfort on long-distance flights. The cabin is most commonly finished in an executive eight-passenger design, but can hold as many as seventeen passengers in a high-density configuration. The cabin keeps the same width (8.2 feet) and height (6.2 feet) as its predecessor, but measures 42.5 feet in length – five feet shorter than the Global Express. Although the Global 5000’s cabin took a five foot cut in length, passengers who have traveled aboard both jets probably won’t note the difference, as the main passenger area in the Global 5000 is only 10 inches shorter in length. Most of the cuts in length were taken from the crew rest area and the galley (the oversized galley of the Global Express was reduced to a full-sized galley in the Global 5000). Although the Global 5000’s cabin is slightly smaller in comparison to the massive Global Express, its total cabin volume of 1,882 cubic feet cannot seriously be described as “small” in any sense of the word.

Cabin amenities abound to keep passengers comfortable, productive, and entertained on long-distance flights. The full-sized galley comes with complete hot food preparation equipment, cold food storage, an espresso machine, and a custom china and cutlery set. The cabin’s entertainment and communications systems are controlled by a single integrated cabin system, the Rockwell Collins Cabin Electronics System (CES). The CES provides the cabin with high-speed internet, LAN connections, wireless phones, scanner and fax machines, satellite TV, and a full multimedia entertainment system (which include a multi-disc CD player, two DVD players, and 3-D maps). All of the cabin’s electronics can be controlled through one of several touch screens located throughout the cabin.

Non-electronic cabin amenities are equally welcoming: the Global 5000 uses sound proofing materials more effective than those used in its predecessor, resulting in cabin noise levels that never exceed 52 dB. Subtle details of the cabin design also contribute to passenger comfort, like newly-designed windows that let in plenty of natural light as well as low-heat, long-life LEDs. If desired, the passenger seats can be constructed out of a type of cushion designed by NASA that molds to a passenger’s body shape when activated by their body heat.

Despite the impressive cabin, most buyers ultimately choose the Global 5000 based on performance, not cabin comfort. The Global 5000 can fly eight passengers and three crew members 4,800 nautical miles nonstop at a speed of .85 Mach. It has top-of-the line engines and avionics and boasts one of the fastest high-speed cruise speeds (499 ktas) of any comparable ultra long-range private jet.

The best areas of performance for the Global 5000 are its range and speed. As already mentioned, the Global 5000 can cruise at 499 ktas and can fly four passengers and two crew 4,876 nautical miles nonstop at an average speed of 479 ktas. For a more concrete idea of the Global 5000’s capabilities, consider a 1,000 nm trip with four passengers, two crew, and required NBAA IFR reserves (a 200 nm alternate). The Global 5000 would need only 2,706 feet of runway to take off and would complete the trip in 2 hours and 13 minutes.

Two powerful Rolls-Royce Deutschland BR710A2-20 turbofan engines power the Global 5000, each providing 14,750 pounds of thrust on takeoff. In addition to enabling the Global 5000 to fly across oceans and climb to 37,000 feet in 18 minutes, the BR710A2-20 engines have an on-condition inspection interval, reducing the downtime and cost of maintaining the aircraft.

The runway requirements for this private jet are impressive for an aircraft of its size: when loaded to its maximum takeoff weight of 87,700 pounds, the Global 5000 can take off in 5,000 feet from a sea level runway at ISA temperatures. Once at altitude, the Global 5000 flies at a 470 ktas for optimal long-range performance, or at 499 ktas for high-speed operations.

The flight deck is one of the more impressive portions of the Global 5000: Bombardier selected the Rockwell Collins Pro Line Fusion avionics suite, which gives pilots access to much of the best of the situational awareness, navigation, and flight optimization technology available. The Pro Line Fusion suite is centered on four 15 inch LCD screens and incorporates heads-up guidance with enhanced vision and synthetic vision systems so pilots can see a depiction of the runway and surrounding terrain through the windscreen even when flying in extremely poor visibili ty conditions. The flight deck also includes an Onboard Maintenance System, which analyses all systems for operational perfection both in the air and on the ground, a Synthetic Vision System (SVS), Enhanced Vision System (EVS), Head-Up Display (HUD), electronic charts and maps, and other situational awareness and communication systems.

The Global 5000 is designed to make its owner competitive in an ever-widening business market without compromising comfort or performance. The 4,876 mile range combined with the 1,882 cubic foot cabin and superior avionics system ensures that the entire globe will be within comfortable reach. Bombardier, already a well-renowned private jet manufacturer, only increases their prestige by adding the Global 5000 to their repertoire of private jets.