Gulfstream

The $60 Million iPad-Controlled Gulfstream G550 Private Jet

Filed under: Gadgets, Wings, Architecture & Design

Spain-based industrial designer Stefan Radev has given the $60 million Gulfstream G550 private jet a makeover, including cool iPad controls à la P. Diddy's Solemates superyacht. From the exterior livery to the seating arrangements, Radev's design scheme is simple, elegant and ergonomic. It's also full of eco-friendly touches like bamboo woodwork.

Natural light is emphasized in the airy interior design with oversized oval-shaped windows and neutral tones complementing the bamboo in an open-plan layout equally suited to working or lounging. iPads and iPods also control the various climate and entertainment functions for the passengers. It's just a concept at this point, but easily made real with enough money.

Gallery: Gulfstream G550 iPad Concept

Tags: Apple, Gulfstream, Gulfstream G550, interior design, iPad, iPad jet, iPad yacht, private jet, private plane, Stefan Radev

New Bombardiers Will Be World's Most Expensive Business Jets

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings, Wealth

Canadian aviation company Bombardier is aiming to displace Gulfstream as the world's most expensive business jet with the introduction of two new models. The Global 7000 and 8000, which will cost about $65 million apiece, will beat the high-speed range of the $58.5 million Gulfstream G650. Both new private jets will have a high-speed cruise of Mach 0.90; the 7000 will have a range of 7,300 nmi at Mach 0.85, while the 8000's range will top out at 7,900 nmi at Mach 0.85. Both will borrow elements from the existing Global Express XRS and 5000.

New wings, new tech and luxe amenities added to increased fuel efficiency will be the hallmarks of the new craft, aimed to appeal to ultra-wealthy customers in India, Asia and the UAE. The 7000 will have the largest cabin in business aviation while the 8,000 will boast the longest range. The 7000 will be able to fly from London to Singapore, New York to Dubai or Beijing to Washington non-stop with 10 passengers, while the 8000 can do Sydney to Los Angeles, Hong Kong to New York and Mumbai to New York non-stop with eight. Unfortunately the first one won't be ready for delivery until 2016.

Tags: aviation, Bombardier, Gulfstream, jet, most expensive, private jet, worlds most expensive

Gulfstream Shows Off G650 Jet

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings

Don't count the private jet industry out yet, there are still plenty of jets planned to hit the market when the economy gets sunnier. Gulfstream just unveiled their new flagship business jet, the Gulfstream G650, at company headquarters in Savannah. The aircraft was first announced in March 2008 and will start customer deliveries in 2012. Around 7,000 people gathered at the new G650 manufacturing building for the grand unveiling of the ultra-large-cabin, ultra-long-range jet. The G650 offers the longest range, fastest speed, largest cabin and the most advanced cockpit in the Gulfstream fleet and can travel 7,000 nautical miles at 0.85 Mach with a maximum operating speed of 0.925, which will make it the fastest civil aircraft flying. It can also climb to an altitude of 51,000 feet, which allows it to avoid traffic and inclement weather for a smoother ride. The aircraft seats 11-18 passengers and has 16 panoramic windows and in-flight access to 195 cubic feet of usable volume in the baggage compartment. A first flight is planned for later this year and it is expected to be certified in 2011.

Aero-News Network reports that among the attendees was Congressman Jack Kingston (R), who talked about the jobs associated with the manufacture of the Gulfstream line. "There may be some members of Congress who had their doubts about corporate jet travel," he told the crowd, "I am not one of them."

UPDATE: Re: questions on price it should be around $65 million.

Gallery: Gulfstream 650

[via Upscale Swagger]

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Tags: business jet, BusinessJet, g650, gulfstream, jet, private jet, PrivateJet

Gulfstream To Lay Off 1200 Workers

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings

The parent company of Gulfsteam jets, General Dynamics announced this week that it would be laying off 1,200 workers nationwide. The workers will be a mix of full-time employees and contractors. More workers will also be put on an unpaid leave for at least a month this summer as Gulfstream cuts plane production. With corporations selling their private jets (Starbucks just put another plane on the market this week) and canceling orders for future planes, the industry has hit hard times. The world's wealthiest people have seen their fortunes dramatically reduced within the past year and are feeling especially frugal. The private plane has rapidly become a symbol of greed and extravagance but the lavish spending habits of a few individuals have fueled entire industries which are now hurting.

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Tags: gulfstream, jets, private planes, PrivatePlanes

Starbucks Picks Up New Corporate Jet

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings

We are coming off a bad year for companies and their private jets so it's a bit startling to see Starbucks, a company which has closed hundreds of locations and cut thousands of jobs, take delivery of a new jet. The Seattle Times reports that Starbucks bought a $45 million Gulfstream 550 to add to their corporate fleet. The company ordered the jet three years ago in less austere times. A spokeswoman said that the company decided it would be too expensive to cancel the order. In order to cancel the contract, it would have cost around $5 million plus the forfeit of payments already made. This new plane brings the Starbucks fleet up to three including a seven-year-old Gulfstream V that it is trying to sell. According to Bob Zuskin, a consultant at Jet Perspectives, that plane could have brought in $45 million six months ago but would now be more likely to fetch a price in the $32-34 million range. The new jet spent its first two weeks under Starbucks ownership in Hawaii on a trip that was, according to Starbucks spokeswoman Deb Trevino, a "combined personal and business trip."

Starbucks is far from alone in keeping a private plane or two, as we saw recently even the embattled financial firms are holding onto their fleets.

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Tags: gulfstream, private jets, PrivateJets, starbucks

What Kind of Jet Should the Queen Get?

by Jared Paul Stern (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings

Back in June, my colleague Deidre Woollard first reported that the Queen of England was in the market for a new private jet. Now the London Sun reports that her budget for the plane, the first intended solely for her own use in her 50-year-reign, has been set at $12.5 million.

Since that's several million shy of the price of a Gulfstream IV, an appropriate aircraft for a head of state, we consulted an expert as to what she should spend the money on. Adam Katz, founder / owner of luxury private jet charter and management service Talon Air, says for that kind of money she may have to consider pre-owned.

"She should buy a late model midsized aircraft like a Hawker 850," Katz tells Luxist, "because it has had its roots in England for more than 50 years. The Hawker 850 is exquisitely efficient and low in cost to operate. It can fly for six hours with eight passengers; it's ultra luxurious, tried and true. The $12.5 million can buy her an almost new Hawker 850 and will serve her very well." Katz recently took delivery of the first Hawker 4000 super-midsized business jet for commercial service to add to Talon Air's burgeoning fleet.

Tags: Adam Katz, AdamKatz, Gulfstream, Hawker 850, Hawker Beechcraft, Hawker850, HawkerBeechcraft, Private jet, PrivateJet, Queen of England, QueenOfEngland, Talon Air, TalonAir

Gulfstream Announces Biggest, Fastest Private Jet Yet

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings

Gulfstream has announced their fastest business-class jet ever. The new G650 jet can fly nearly as fast as the speed of sound, .85 Mach and is their biggest plane to date. It will have a nautical range of 7,000 nautical miles meaning it can fly nonstop from Los Angeles to London. The plane will cost $59.5 million and is aimed at the highest end of the private jet market. The Savannah, Georgia-based company plans to begin test flights next year and will start deliveries in 2012.

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Tags: airplane, g650, gulfstream, private jet, PrivateJet, wings

Forbes Features the World's Fastest Passenger Jets

by Erin Mays (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Wings

Need to get someplace in a hurry? Forbes has your back.

Planes made by Dessault, Cessna and Gulfstream offer luxury and speed, most of them traveling at speeds above Mach 0.9 while providing an internet connection and TVs pumping DVD playback or a satellite steam. The Cessna Citation X tops the list, hitting Mach 0.92 and climbing to 43,000 feet in just 30 minutes, followed by planes such as the Gulfstream G550 and G450, which offer perks ranging from lighting sensors to security systems.

On the big commercial passenger jet side, the Boeing 747-8, part of Lufthansa and Emirates Airlines fleets and the Boeing 777, flying for British Airways and airlines, fly at speeds of 650 miles per hour while seating a whopping 400 people or more.

Click through to see a slideshow of the world's fastst passenger jets.

[Source: Forbes]

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Tags: boeing, cessna, dessault, gulfstream, passenger jets, PassengerJets