Right now here at work in hanger 1 is a NASA F15 modified by Glufstream where I work.We made a composite spike/stinger that will allow the F15 to fly 2 1/2 times the speed of sound without the big BOOM it makes.Anyway I was talking to the pilot and I said I bet you own a Corvette.He looked so shocked and asked me how I could tell.I told him about the longstanding thing about astronuts owning Vettes.He was very impressed that I knew this.He asked me about mine and he told me about his 2006

Yep.  Them fly boys (and girls) like to go fast!!!! 

I know a little about that F-15 program you guys down there are working on.  Revolutionary stuff!

Here's the photo dang that thing is long.

Missing a tail?? I mean vertical stabilizer??spielman52007-02-15 15:57:23

Thats the spike allright.It moves in and out.And yes it it missing a vertical. The co-pilot on this flight was a girl.They did three flybys one right down our taxiway right between the buildings.It was awsome.Also the president of Gulstream Brian Moss is a big Corvette guy.He is one CEO that will walk around that talk to us little guys.One day he was in a Black new C6 Z06 that he had on loan from Hendricks motorsports and I was going the other way in my 82CE and he had to stop me and talk Vettes.Good place to work,I've been there over 20yrs.I've seen a lot of growth in the industry.Flown in more Gulfstreams than most people that own them.I've done so many customer pre flights over the years.Been in Cosby's plane with him,also the sultan of bruni,some golfer guy that goes buy the name shark(I'm not into golf)Each flight takes 4 or 5 hrs.I'll come to work fly to Maine do a couple of touch and goes,fly out over the ocean,maybe down to west palm beach and back,All in a days work.Been up to 45,000 ft,go into a stall.talk about your stomach comming out man thats fun.We have to do a series of stalls to make sure it's right.The plane slows down till it starts to shake real bad and all of a sudden down you go nose first.zgator2007-02-15 16:18:15

[QUOTE=indy99]

Here's the photo dang that thing is long.

[/QUOTE] Where did you get that picture?

Who gets to test the first flight of each new one and have you ever "lost" one?

[QUOTE=dwright]Who gets to test the first flight of each new one and have you ever "lost" one? [/QUOTE] We have never lost one.each new plane that come off the final line is what we call greenies because they are still in green primer with no interior except the flight controls..Gulfstream has it's own test pilots and the plane has to go on a series of cold soaks before everything fits right.It then comes over to my side(compleations)where we put the interior in per customer specs.Takes about 8-9 weeks and there are several flights in between to make sure all the doors,drawers, all close right.When an aircraft is pressureized it changes shape and it's a real challange to get everything to open and close both on the ground and in flight.We have had a few go down do to pilot error over the yrs.not many.I remember one over in Africa that landed on a closed runway that had all those parking curbs.Well they took off the landing gear and the plane slid down the runway over and enbankment accross a road in the middle of the dessert and finally came to a stop on the other side of the road.My roomate at the time had to go over there with the rest of his crew and take the GV apart and ship it back to Savannah.He said the people from the village would come out there everyday in their donkey drawn carts and just watch them.They had never seen anything like that before.Oh buy the way nobody got hurt on the plane.I don't think I will be able to get my pic taken,I'll try.They are removing the spike and the plane might not be there by mon.Good idea,I'll try.

That is one EXCITED plane!!!