Not every day do you find yourself wishing your flight was extended, however, following a surprisingly brief journey aboard the $80-million Bombardier Global 7500, I surely did.
Certainly, velocity was paramount for this journey. On February 28, the Canadian aerospace company Bombardier conducted a flight from San Luis Obispo, California to London In just 9 hours and 17 minutes, the aircraft set its 100th speed record—reaffirming its position as the quickest option within the ultra-long-range class of business jets. However, this supremacy may soon end when Bombardier releases their latest creation, the Global 8000, expected sometime this year. Boasting an impressive range of 8,000 nautical miles and capable of reaching speeds up to Mach 0.94, it aims to become both the swiftest and most distant-flying private jet globally.
Prior to getting on our flight, we took a seat at Bombardier Speed Record Mission Control located within ACI Jet in San Luis Obispo. This versatile establishment handles and maintains aircraft, functions as a fixed-based operation (FBO) or essentially acts like an executive passenger terminal. The initial query was this: What’s with setting 100 speed records? According to Bombardier's senior director of communications, Mark Masluch, these speed records were not only Bragging rights as well as proofs of actual performance. He explains, “Prospective buyers aren’t merely purchasing the airplane based on specifications; they’re considering daily usage from the start,” he states. They think about how they will utilize the aircraft and which cities they intend to fly to. airports What times will I need to plan for entering and exiting specific airports?
These clients—who typically fully own the aircraft—often include large companies or extremely wealthy people; however, individual charter flights can also be arranged via our partner network. VistaJet and XO For the Global 7500, the typical flights involve lengthy trips lasting between 10 and 17 hours; this aircraft boasts a range of 7,700 nautical miles—the highest in the realm of business jets—enabling direct transcontinental voyages such as New York to Hong Kong and Singapore to San Francisco .
Inside the Bombardier Global 7500 aircraft, there are four distinct zones, each divided by doors: a crew section featuring both the cockpit and kitchen, a meeting room, an open space equipped with a couch, and a private suite complete with either a full-sized bed or seating convertible into one. Additionally, this model includes dual restrooms—one of which has the option to include a shower facility. Depending on how they're set up, these areas allow for accommodation ranging from 19 passengers seated down to sleep configurations suitable for as few as six people. Of course, clients have the flexibility to tailor the interior layout according to personal preferences.
The moment I stepped onto the plane, our lovely flight attendant Lanis Thate-Hembree greeted each passenger by name and served a welcome cocktail. As I sipped and settled in, I immediately noticed two things that felt worlds away from a typical commercial airline experience. First was the oversized windows that essentially gave you a panoramic view of the world around you—a particularly spectacular experience on California's Central Coast, between the rolling green hills and the bright blue ocean. And second was just how astonishingly quiet it was onboard. We could easily have conversations across the entire conference room, despite being 20 feet away.
Then at cruising altitude we hardly felt any bumps, even over the notoriously bumpy Rockies. We leveled off between 41,000 and 45,000 feet—about 10,000 feet above commercial airliners—where the plane can not only fly faster, but avoid most turbulence . Plus, the Global 7500's wings are designed to absorb any bumps for a smooth ride. One of our three pilots, BJ Ferro, calls the experience of flying the Global 7500 “cosmic,” as if you are floating in orbit rather than zooming forward at nearly 700 miles per hour.
Since the journey is incredibly smooth, it almost seems like you’re not even airborne—a notable feature for Bombardier. As Masluch explains, “It’s designed so that your daily routine can go on uninterrupted while you’re seated onboard.” Executives might use this time to join Zoom meetings from the conference area without feeling disrupted. in-flight Wi-Fi was sufficient for our flight to conduct video calls. For leisure travelers, this might involve watching a film in the living area or maybe catching up on some much-needed rest in the sleeping quarters. As for the six of us aboard, we mostly spent time in the cabin talking with each other, enjoying the ample space that allowed us to do so without feeling cramped.
Eventually, we took our seats for our three-course dinner; the conference room doubled as a dining room, with a pop-up table that comfortably seated all six of us. Soups, salads, steaks, and even pasta bolognese graced the table, followed by an assortment of petit fours (how's that for plane food ?) While enjoying desserts, I requested Lanis to witness a light exhibit. What I intended was an overview of over 125 in-cabin lighting options, with special interest in seeing a dynamic rainbow sequence. However, Mother Nature had another performance planned.
As we were ooh-ing and aah-ing over the cabin lights, chief pilot Étienne Côté got on the PA. If we looked to the right, he said, we'd see a pretty striking display of the northern lights I have had the privilege of witnessing the northern lights numerous times, yet this particular display lasted for hours and kept me captivated at the window, observing various forms like picket fences, cinnamon buns, and dancing curtains. Eventually, when I reluctantly left the window to get into bed—a makeshift one consisting of a plush mattress placed over some chairs—the room was bathed in a soft green light from outside, illuminating the entire cabin.
In due course, I dozed off but was roused by the sunrise after just one hour. I managed a brief iced coffee before we touched down at London’s Biggin Hill Airport; thus concluded our journey all too quickly. Nonetheless, our aim was to establish a record, which we achieved: The duration of our flight spanned nine hours and seventeen minutes, spanning a total ground distance of 4,934 nautical miles with a peak velocity of 690 miles per hour. This transpired during what would typically be considered a standard commercial flight from Los Angeles Traveling to London usually takes 10.5 hours; we managed to cut more than an hour from our transatlantic trip.
Next up is the 101st speed record...
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