WHAT IS GULFSTREAM AEROSPACE CORPORATION
Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation is a completely owned subsidiary of General Dynamics and an aircraft manufacturer in the United States and . Gulfstream is a business jet manufacturer that designs, develops, produces, markets, and maintains private jet aircraft. Since 1958, Gulfstream has manufactured almost 2,000 aircraft. The G280, G550, G500/G600, and G650/G650ER/G700 are currently available from Gulfstream. Each of which are top of its class in numerous ways.
HOW DID GULFSTREAM GET ITS START
The US military utilized Grumman airplanes in battle during World War II. You may have heard of Grumman’s powerful “Cats,” such as the F4F Wildcat and F6F Hellcat. After the war, Roy Grumman shifted his focus to delivering purpose-built business aircraft constructed to the same high standards as military aircraft. In December 1929, he created Grumman Aircraft Engineering Corporation and went on to revolutionize both general aviation and the jet industry.
1950’s – FIRST CORPORATE AIRCRAFT
Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. began in the late 1950s, during the postwar economic boom, when Grumman Aircraft Engineering Co., best renowned for military aircraft manufacture, developed the Grumman Gulfstream I twin turboprop commercial aircraft at its Bethpage, New York, facility (G-I) It was a strong aircraft with turboprop engines capable of propelling it 33,600 feet into the air and reaching a top speed of Mach 0.53. When outfitted as a business aircraft, it has a maximum seating capacity of 12 and a range of 2,200 miles (3,540 km). This was the first aircraft of its kind introduced that was designed specifically for corporate travel and was a resounding success, motivating Grumman to create the jet-powered Grumman Gulfstream II, or GII. The Gulfstream I was manufactured for 11 years and about 200 were built. Several of them remain in operation today, a monument to their superior craftsmanship.
1960’s – GEORGIA IS HOME TO FIRST TRANS-ATLANTIC BUSINESS JET
To maximize efficiency, Grumman authorities separated the company’s civil and military aircraft manufacturing prior to the start of the GII program. They shifted the civilian component to Savannah, Georgia in 1966, where they discovered a ready supply of competent personnel, a nearby airfield, and capacity for development. Savannah’s attraction was bolstered by transportation infrastructure suited for heavy equipment and machinery, as well as year-round weather conducive to flight testing and training operations. The new facility was dedicated on September 29, 1967. It opened in June 1967. It was used to manufacture and test the GII. The GII’s initial 100-person workforce was 90 percent local, and it quickly grew to almost 1,700 within a few years.Gulfstream aircraft underwent significant improvements in 1966 with the introduction of the Gulfstream GII at its new factory. Engineers spent years developing a jet capable of flying nonstop coast to coast or trip over the Atlantic Ocean and back. The Gulfstream II’s design was slightly different from the Gulfstream I’s, with a T-configuration tail and rear-mounted engines. This configuration enabled the Gulfstream GII to reach a top speed of Mach 0.88 at 45,000 feet while transporting up to 19 people (typically configuration 12-16 passengers).The Gulfstream GII was used by countless Fortune 500’s and families to travel quickly and efficiently to Europe and around North America. NASA also employed the Gulfstream GII to train space shuttle personnel, as the aircraft was capable of simulating some of the circumstances aboard the Space Shuttle.
1970’s – THE AMERICAN HUSTLER THAT NEVER HUSTLED
Grumman combined its civil aircraft business with American Aviation Corporation on January 2, 1973. And in 1977, the 256th and last GII was delivered. One year later, American Jet Industries, led by entrepreneur Allen Paulson, acquired the Gulfstream line and the Savannah facility. Paulson was appointed president and chief executive officer of the corporation, which he renamed Gulfstream American. He made developing and manufacturing the Gulfstream III their top priority. The GIII was an updated variation of the GII that is meant to outperform the GII in terms of range and speed. The GIII flew for the first time in December 1979, and the first aircraft was delivered in 1980. It was the first business jet ever to travel over both the North and South Poles! Another notable aircraft manufactured at the time was the Gulfstream American Hustler 400 was a business aircraft with a propeller in front and a jet in rear for high-altitude cruising. The prototype, named Hustler 400, took flight for the first time on January 11, 1978, but was never produced.
1980’s – THE BIRTH OF THE MOST ICONIC HEAVY JET OF ALL TIME
Gulfstream debuted the Gulfstream G-IIB in 1981. The GIIB was equipped with a modified GII fuselage and GIII wings equipped with winglets. The variation offered comparable weight and performance to the GIII, but with the shorter fuselage of the GII. Around 40 G-IIBs were constructed and delivered by Gulfstream. By the spring of 1982, Paulson had increased the Savannah workforce to around 2,500. To represent their global reach, they changed their name to Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation and also designed and released a brand new jet ,the Gulfstream IV or also known as G-IV! This would become the aircraft everyone pictures in their mind when they think of private aviation. Gulfstream issued 8.8 million shares of stock to the public the next year. Chrysler Corporation purchased Gulfstream for $637 million in 1985 as part of the automaker’s diversification strategy into high-tech sectors. Gulfstream also made its Fortune 500 debut this year, at No. 417. By 1987, they rocketed to 200th spot and delivered the last Gulfstream G-III ever. Subsequently the Gulfstream G-IV was delivered for the first time. The G-IV was the first ground-breaking business jet to use an all glass flight deck. This would become standard among all business jets. Chrysler chose to sell Gulfstream in 1989, and Paulson teamed up with Forstmann Little & Co., a private equity firm specializing in leveraged buyouts, to repurchase the company Gulfstream.
1990’s – LAYING THE FOUNDATION FOR CENTURIES TO COME
Gulfstream made considerable gains in the decade after the 1989 buyback. It took advantage of this time to expand and grow its market share and its fleet. In 1994, the firm entered into a five-year arrangement with NetJets. In 1995, it completed the Gulfstream G-V Integration Test Facility and launched the G-V, the world’s first ultra-long range business aircraft. Essentially, Gulfstream innovated the G-IV so much that they had to create an entirely new aircraft category size with unheard of range, we are talking about 12-14 hour range! You would need an augmented crew to handle that In 1996, a multi-million dollar Savannah service center with 136,000 square feet (12,630 square meters) of hangar space opened. Gulfstream began concurrent construction of two aircraft types in 1997 — the G-IVSP and the G-V. Within a few months after its initial delivery in June 1997, the G-V established approximately 40 city-pair and/or speed and distance records, FORTY! Due to this ground-breaking innovation its development team received the 1997 Robert J. Collier Trophy, North America’s highest accolade in aeronautics or astronautics. Gulfstream acquired K-C Aviation from Kimberly-Clark Corp. for $250 million in 1998. K-C Aviation was headquartered in Dallas and had facilities in Appleton, Wisconsin, and Westfield, Massachusetts.
2000’s – REACHING NEW HEIGHTS
General Dynamics acquired Gulfstream in the late 1990s and established a $5.5 million aircraft refurbishment and completions support facility in Savannah in 2000. They then bought Galaxy Aerospace in 2001, with it came their mid-size Astra SPX and super-mid-size Galaxy, which were ultimately marketed as the Gulfstream G100 and G200. Gulfstream also acquired four other repair facilities in the United States in 2001, in Dallas, Las Vegas, Minneapolis, and West Palm Beach, Florida. General Dynamics Aviation Services was founded by these service locations and a Gulfstream facility in Westfield, Massachusetts. The company serviced and repaired Gulfstream and other business-jet aircraft.Gulfstream rebranded its products in 2002, utilizing Arabic numbers rather than Roman numerals to distinguish its aircraft. At the time, Gulfstream’s available fleet was the G550 and G500 ultra-long-range aircraft, the Gulfstream G400 long-range aircraft, the Gulfstream G300 and G200 mid-range aircraft, and the high-speed G100. Gulfstream also unveiled its Airborne Product Support aircraft, a specially outfitted G100, in 2002. It is used to transport parts and offer emergency service to Gulfstream clients flying aircraft under warranty in North America and the Caribbean.Gulfstream established a service center at London-Luton Airport in 2003, the first Gulfstream-owned facility outside the United States. Additionally, the Gulfstream G450 long-range aircraft was released in 2003. A year later, the large-cabin, mid-range G350 was introduced. Gulfstream was awarded the 2003 Collier Trophy for developing the G550 in 2004. Gulfstream earned the prize for the second time in less than a decade. The G550 is the first civil aircraft to earn a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Type Certificate that contains an Enhanced Vision System (EVS) as standard equipment. Additionally, the aircraft was the first to include PlaneView®, an integrated avionics suite consisting of four 14-inch (36 cm) liquid crystal screens in landscape style.
QUIETING THE SONIC BOOM
Gulfstream began offering an in-flight internet connection in 2005 with the introduction of its BroadBand Multi-Link (BBML) technology. Additionally, Gulfstream invented and developed a method for decreasing the sonic boom produced when an aircraft “breaks” the sound barrier — the Quiet Spike. The Quiet Spike is a telescoping nose device that mitigates the sonic boom effect by smoothing the pressure wave caused by traveling at the speed of sound. Gulfstream believes that eliminating the present US supersonic flight prohibition is critical to establishing a sustainable economic case for supersonic aircraft.
JOB CREATION AT GULFSTREAM
In 2006, the Gulfstream G100’s 12-year manufacturing run came to an end, and the Gulfstream G150 entered service in its stead. The G150 was the first business jet to be approved by the FAA to meet Stage 4 noise criteria, the industry’s most rigorous. Gulfstream also announced intentions to expand its production and service operations in Savannah in 2006. The seven-year, $400 million Long-Range Facilities Master Plan called for the development of a new 624,588-square-foot (58,030-square-meter) service center, an independent fuel farm, a 42,600-square-foot (3,960-square-meter) paint hangar, and a new Sales and Design Center. Employment at the plant was projected to add 1,100 jobs as a result of the development. Gulfstream established a Research and Development Center to address an immediate requirement for engineering office space (RDC). Around 750 technical and engineering staff are housed at the RDC.Gulfstream began work on a new business-jet production facility at its headquarters in Savannah in April 2007. The following month, the business negotiated a nine-year lease for a second Research and Development Center with North Point Real Estate. The RDC II consists of an office building that can house 550 people and a laboratory facility that can house 150 personnel and test equipment utilized in Gulfstream’s research and development activities. Gulfstream completed the addition of the new Sales and Design Center in June and the first phase of the new Savannah Service Center in August.Gulfstream conducted the first integration test of its Synthetic Vision-Primary Flight Display (SV-PFD) and EVS II in 2007. The SV-PFD is a complimentary flight display to the Gulfstream PlaneView flight displays. It combines a three-dimensional color representation of the landscape with the primary flight display instrument symbology to produce a huge view area for the terrain. By early 2008, both EVS II and SV-PFD have been approved by the FAA.
G650 – FASTEST AND LARGEST CIVILIAN AIRCRAFT
Gulfstream announced the launch of a new business aircraft, the Gulfstream G650, on March 13, 2008. The G650 has the Gulfstream fleet’s greatest range, quickest speed, largest interior, and most modern cockpit. It is capable of flying 7,000 nautical miles (12,960 kilometers; 8,060 miles) at Mach.85 or shorter distances at Mach 0.925, making it one of the fastest civilian aircraft in the world, next to the Citation X (X+). It has a maximum altitude of 51,000 feet (15,540 m), which enables it to escape airplane traffic congestion and inclement weather.Gulfstream unveiled another addition to its business jet fleet on October 5 of the same year: the large-cabin, mid-range Gulfstream G250 (later renamed the Gulfstream G280). It has a maximum operational speed of 0.85 Mach and is capable of going 3,600 nautical miles (6,670 kilometers; 4,140 miles) at 0.80 Mach. It takes 20 minutes to reach its first cruising height of 41,000 feet (12,500 meters) and can rise to a maximum altitude of 45,000 feet (13,720 m).
ENDING THE DECADE BY COMPLETING TWO RECORD BREAKING BUSINESS JETS
In 2009, the business completed two week-long powered rollouts. On September 29, 2009, the Gulfstream G650 rolled out of the Savannah production site under its own power. The G280 followed a short week later. Before the end of 2009, both the G650 and the G280 made their first flight. The first flight of the G650 occurred on November 25, while the first flight of the G280 occurred on December 11.
2010’s – THE MOST VERSATILE FLEET IN BUSINESS AVIATION
Gulfstream announced a $500 million, seven-year expansion of its Savannah facility in November 2010. The expansion resulted in the creation of 1,000 more Gulfstream positions, thats more than a15% increase. Along with the Savannah expansion, Gulfstream expanded its operations in Westfield, Massachusetts and Luton, United Kingdom in 2011. Gulfstream stated in October that it will expand its service center at the Barnes Regional Airport in Westfield, Massachusetts, creating 100 new Gulfstream positions, roughly doubling the number of Gulfstream’s Westfield staff. Additionally, the Luton service center relocated to a larger, more contemporary hangar of 75,000 square feet. The addition of the hangar and associated office space roughly doubles the site’s capacity, allowing Gulfstream Luton experts to maintain the company’s extensive fleet, including the all-new G650, the company’s flagship aircraft.The Gulfstream G650 acquired a provisional type certificate (PTC) from the FAA in November 2011. This cleared the door for the corporation to commence interior completions on the ultra-large-cabin, ultra-long-range business aircraft in anticipation of client deliveries in the second quarter of 2012, as scheduled.General Dynamics Aviation Services was renamed Gulfstream in January 2011 to streamline its corporate identification. Gulfstream presently owns and manages nine service facilities and one component repair facility across the world. As of late 2012, there were hints that Gulfstream was on the verge of releasing the design of a quiet supersonic business aircraft, the first sketches of which came in December 2012.Gulfstream employs about 11,500 people at 12 various locations: Savannah, Georgia; Appleton, Wisconsin; Brunswick, Georgia; Dallas; Las Vegas; Westfield, Massachusetts; West Palm Beach, Florida; Van Nyes and Lincoln, California in the United States of America; London, United Kingdom; Mexicali, Mexico; and Sorocaba, Brazil
NEXT GENERATION – G500 AND G600
On October 14, 2014, the Gulfstream G500/G600 were introduced, with the G500 taxiing autonomously. Gulfstream’s all-new Gulfstream G500 and Gulfstream G600 aircraft set new standards for performance, interior design, and technology. The airplanes travel vast distances at fast speeds and feature spacious, attractive cabins. Gulfstream enhanced the state-of-the-art with the G500 and G600 via the introduction of the Gulfstream Symmetry Flight DeckTM, which has touch-screen displays, active control side-sticks, and Intelligence-by-WireTM flight controls. The lengthier G600 was announced on December 17, 2016, with an estimated delivery date of 2018.
GULFSTREAM G500
With the Gulfstream Symmetry Flight DeckTM, the Gulfstream G500 ushered in a new age of flight deck technology, with an entire clean-sheet design tailored for class-leading performance and passenger comfort. The aircraft has a maximum range of 5,300 nautical miles/9,816 kilometers and cruises at Mach 0.90, with a top speed of Mach 0.925. The G500 seats up to 19 people in three unique living spaces and incorporates the industry’s first active control side-sticks and significant use of touch-screen avionics controllers. The G500 was the first Gulfstream to receive both its type and production certificate on the same day on July 20, 2018. In September 2018, the aircraft entered service. The first G500 was delivered to a Savannah local on September 27th, 2018, ahead of schedule. Qatar Airways showed an interest in purchasing Gulfstream large-cabin aircraft during a meeting between US President Donald Trump and Qatar’s Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani in July 2019.
GULFSTREAM G600
The Gulfstream G600 redefined innovation, interior design, and comfort. The aircraft has a maximum range of 6,600 nautical miles/12,223 kilometers and cruises at Mach 0.90, with a top speed of Mach 0.925. The G600 is equipped with the ground-breaking Gulfstream Symmetry Flight DeckTM and seats up to 19 guests in up to four unique living zones, including a stateroom or media suite.The US Federal Aviation Administration issued the aircraft with both type and manufacturing certifications on the same day. The certifications paved the stage for the completion of the G600’s first completed deliveries to customers on August 8, 2019.
NEW DECADE, NEW FLAGSHIP – GULFSTREAM G700
On the eve of the 2019 National Business Aviation Association Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition in Las Vegas, Gulfstream revealed the aircraft to carry them through the next decade, the G700. The G700 marks the beginning of a new era for Gulfstream, based on the company’s decades-long commitment in research and development and subsequent success. The aircraft features the largest cabin in the business, as well as industry-leading range and speed capabilities.The G700 flew for the first time on Valentine’s Day (2020), proving the program’s maturity and formally kicking off the new industry flagship’s arduous flight-test program. The G700 has the industry’s largest cabin, with twenty Gulfstream panoramic oval windows and up to five living zones. Additionally, the G700 adds a number of novel interior features, including an “ultra-galley” with more than ten feet of counter space and a crew compartment or passenger lounge; an ultra-high-definition circadian lighting system; speaker-less surround sound; and a grand suite with shower.
ULTIMATE FLET FLEXIBILITY – GULFSTREAM G400 AND G800
Gulfstream held a launch ceremony on October 4, 2021 at its Savannah headquarters to introduce the all-new Gulfstream G400 and Gulfstream G800 to its next-generation product range. Building on the proven success of the G500, G600, G650ER, and G700, the additions will bring revolutionary technology and proven cabin comfort to new aircraft segments, providing customers with increased fleet flexibility and access to the industry’s most advanced technology, advanced safety features, and most enjoyable cabin experience.