ASPEN – — The latest incarnation of the Gulfstream jet is testing the definition of wingspan at the Aspen-Pitkin County Airport, but an initial approval for the aircraft’s local use has fired up critics who are questioning proposed future facilities at the airport, including large hangars to accommodate private jets.
The airport maintains a 95-foot limit on aircraft wingspan; the new Gulfstream 650 has an overall wingspan of nearly 100 feet, including the horizontal wings plus the “winglets” — wing tips that are tilted upward at an angle. Minus the winglets, the wingspan on the aircraft measures 93 feet, 8 inches, according to Gulfstream’s website. With the winglets, the overall span measures 99 feet, 7 inches.
The Gulfstream 650 has not yet received Federal Aviation Administration certification and is not currently in use anywhere, according to Jim Elwood, aviation director at the local airport, but Elwood said his initial assessment was that the jet would meet the airport’s regulations.
An online product brochure for the aircraft, incidentally, includes an aerial photograph of the Aspen-Pitkin County Airport on a page touting the jet’s flight display technology and “enhanced vision system.”
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