Bombardier Global 6000: specifications, range, cabin

The Global 6000 is a heavy business jet with 11 112 km of range and a cabin in three zones. Here are the book figures and how they look in service: what the aircraft actually carries on its limiting leg, what runways it needs, and what sits behind the phrase "range of 6 000 nautical miles".

Principal specifications

Manufacturer's data. The exact figures for a particular aircraft come from its flight manual: specification and modifications change the weights, and with them the range.

Full specifications and sourcing are on the model page.

Range: what 6 000 miles means

Book range is calculated with eight passengers, full fuel and the standard NBAA reserves. Those are the conditions of the calculation, and in life they rarely all hold.

What reduces the figure:

Payload. Every passenger above the notional eight takes fuel with them. A full cabin of 13 with baggage costs several hundred kilometres.

Wind. A headwind on an east–west route eats 5 to 15 per cent of the range depending on season and flight level.

The departure aerodrome. A short runway, high temperature or elevation limits the take-off weight, and with it the fuel on board.

A route near the limit of book range is planned with a technical stop or with a reduced load.

What the aircraft covers without a stop at a sensible load: Moscow–New York, Moscow–Beijing, London–Dubai and Dubai–Singapore separately, Dubai–London, and Istanbul–Hong Kong at the margin.

The cabin: three zones and what fits in them

A cabin length of 13.18 m divides the space into three parts without crowding any of them.

The forward zone. A club four around two tables, a working position for four.

The middle zone. A dining group, or a divan along the side with seats opposite: four to six people at a common table.

The aft zone. A divan converting to a full-length berth, a separate door, and in some specifications a lavatory with a shower.

Height is 1.88 m. A person 185 cm tall walks the aisle fully upright; from 190 cm, with their head slightly inclined. A width of 2.41 m gives two seats and an aisle between them without brushing shoulders.

The baggage compartment is accessible in flight. On a ten-hour sector that is a noticeable difference: the case you need is taken out of the hold in flight.

Engines and fuel burn

Two Rolls-Royce BR710A2-20 of 14 750 lb thrust. The same family as on the Gulfstream G550 — high accumulated hours across the fleet and an established service network.

Hourly burn in cruise is of the order of 1.9–2.1 tonnes an hour depending on level and weight. On an eight-hour leg that is about 16 tonnes of fuel.

Both engines are supported on hourly-payment programmes. Programme status is the first thing looked at in the documents when buying: it affects the price and the first-year budget alike.

Aerodromes

Runway required at maximum take-off weight is about 1 890 m. The landing distance is considerably shorter, of the order of 800 m at a typical landing weight.

The practical consequence: with full fuel for a limiting leg you need proper international aerodromes. Short fields will accept the aircraft with reduced fuel, meaning a leg within 3–4 hours.

The Falcon 8X and the Global 7500 behave differently here: the first is better on a short runway, while the second offers more range on comparable aerodrome requirements.

Ceiling and weather

51 000 ft. The upper levels: the main traffic does not climb there, and most weather fronts stay below.

In practice that means a direct routing where aircraft at 39 000 ft are deviating around, and less turbulence on a long leg. Cabin pressure in cruise corresponds to an altitude of about 1 400 metres.

Global 6000, Global 5000 and Global 6500

Three close relatives that get confused in listings.

Global 5000 — a shortened airframe, 9 630 km of range, a cabin two metres shorter. Cheaper, with a smaller rest area aft.

Global 6000 — the aircraft of this analysis, built from 2012 as a development of the Global Express XRS.

Global 6500 — the 2019 update: the BR710 engines replaced by Rolls-Royce Pearl 15, range up to 12 223 km, burn reduced. Externally and in the cabin the aircraft are almost indistinguishable; the difference is in the nacelles and on the plate.

At purchase the type is verified from the logbook. A Global Express XRS presented as a "Global 6000" is an ordinary story on the pre-owned market.

What to look at on the particular aircraft

Airframe time in hours and cycles separately. Time on each engine and what remains to the next removal. The status of the engine and APU programmes. Calendar checks completed and the next one due. The avionics fit and its compliance with the requirements of the airspace the aircraft will fly in. The state of the cabin and the year of the last refurbishment.

Every item converts into money: either a discount off the price or a line in the first-year budget.

Bombardier Global deals have come through my practice — among long-range aircraft the type holds its demand. In my experience a purchase on the pre-owned market takes about two months, while a new aircraft runs roughly a year and a half from contract to delivery. The running cost of such an aircraft is 10 to 20 per cent of its value a year: crew, pilot training, the operator, parking and fuel.

Alexander Filimonov — business aviation: sourcing, acquisition and entry into service of aircraft.