Gulfstream delivered its final commercial G550 ultra-long-range twinjet to Dublin-based lessor Nephele Aviation on June 30, 2021, ending a production run of 18 years that saw more than 600 of the workhorse aircraft enter service. The last commercial delivery left the manufacturer with 16 special-mission variants to complete.
The first production G550, originally known as the GV-SP (special performance) version of the Gulfstream GV with 250-nm more range and greater cabin space, rolled out in August 2001, flew for the first time on July 18, 2002, received FAA type approval in Aug. 14, 2003 and entered service that year.
In Gulfstream’s words, the G550 “revolutionized the pilot experience in business aviation.” It was the launch platform of the Honeywell Primus Epic-based PlaneView flightdeck, itself a “generational change” from the SPZ-8500 system on the GV, according to Honeywell. Fronted by four 14-in. LCD displays, the PlaneView cockpit came with cursor-controlled display interfaces and an enhanced vision system (EVS)—a Kollsman forward-looking infrared camera that revealed terrain and runway lights on the pilot’s head-up display in low-light conditions.
The EVS was the G550’s “greatest safety feature,” said the National Aeronautic Association (NAA), which also cited the clutter-reducing PlaneView cockpit among the jet’s “groundbreaking” innovations when it awarded the G550 manufacturing team its prestigious Collier Trophy for 2003.
Powered by twin Rolls-Royce BR710 C4-11 turbofans, each producing 15,385 lb. of thrust, the G550 can fly eight passengers and four crew to a range of 6,750 nm at Mach 0.80 with NBAA IFR reserves. At maximum takeoff weight (91,000 lb.), it requires 5,910 ft. of runway in ISA sea-level conditions. The jet has earned 55 city-pair speed records, according to Gulfstream.
AVPRO
Range and capability The manufacturer’s decision to end production of the G550 this year, which Gulfstream announced in June 2020, “comes at a time when there is a lot of demand” for pre-owned business jets, notes Christopher Ellis, co-founder and managing partner of aircraft brokerage Avpro, based in Annapolis, Maryland.
“Historically, there is a chilling effect at the end of a model, but the G550 is so capable and it’s still modern in production in terms of the cockpit,” says Ellis. “It’s really been popular with wealthy individuals who can buy an airplane that’s super capable for a lot less money. But it’s not like they’re giving up any range. It’s going to go as far as anybody wants it to go, and range is always a big issue with buyers and pilots. Pilots want to have fuel more than they want a copilot.”
The factory new list price of a 2020 G550 was $54.5 million, according to the Aircraft Bluebook. The Aviation Week Fleet Discovery database counted 583 in-service G550s, 12 parked jets and three jets in storage. As of November, there were 29 G550s for sale, about 5% of the in-service fleet counted by Aviation Week. The pre-owned jets were selling in the $15.5 million-to-$33 million range, according to Ellis. Avpro listed a 2011 model-year G550 for $22.95 million. Bombardier’s 6,000 nm-range Global Express and Global 6000 and 6,305 nm-range Global XRS are the G550’s chief competitors.
Range is a paramount consideration of buyers, according to Ellis. “Can I put eight people in it and go where I want to go non-stop? A 550 checks that box pretty much 100% of the time. It checks a lot of boxes for that $15 million-$20 million price market,” he notes. Operators should expect direct operating costs of around $4,500 per hour, including engine and maintenance reserves, he advises.
Current operators of multiple G550s include corporate and military entities, led by casino company Las Vegas Sands Corp., and the Singapore Air Force with five jets each. AT&T Services and Avcon Jet of Austria each operate four G550s. AbbVie U.S., ABS Jets, Business Aviation Asia, Dupont, General Dynamics, General Motors, the Israeli Air Force, Metrojet, Netflix, Sirio S.P.A., the Turkish government, the U.S. Air Force, the U.S. Missile Defense Agency, and Valero Energy each operate three G550s.
Four cabin zones The G550 carries up to 19 passengers and three crew but is typically configured for 13-15 passengers. The flat-floor cabin is 43 ft., 11 in. long excluding baggage, 7 ft. 4 in. wide and 6 ft. 2 in. high. “Feels like” cabin altitude at the jet’s 51,000 ft. operating ceiling is 6,000 ft.
“The 550 has plenty of length, which is great,” Ellis says. “You have the ability to have three or four cabin zones, depending on whether you wanted a crew rest or not. The options are where’s the galley—front or back—and do you have a crew rest [area] or not. What became a more preferred layout was a forward galley, so the aft part of the cabin could become a stateroom scenario. The crew wouldn’t have to go back to the galley at all on 12-to-14 hr. legs.” Ellis adds: “The drawback, if there is such a thing, is the width of the G550 cabin is smaller than the Globals and the [Dassault] Falcon. That’s why the 650 came out.”
Gulfstream unveiled the G650 in March 2008 and achieved FAA certification of the type in September 2012. Capable of flying to 7,000 nm, it has a cabin that measures 46 ft. 10 in. long, 8 ft. 2 in. wide and 6 ft. 3 in. high. The G650 “strengthened business aviation through significant technological advancements in aircraft performance, cabin comfort and safety,” said the NAA, which awarded the program the 2014 Collier Trophy.
The manufacturer announced the 7,500-nm G650ER in May 2014 and certified it that October. The G650/G650ER come with the PlaneView II flightdeck, EVS II and Gulfstream Synthetic Vision-Primary Flight Display as standard equipment.
In 2014, Gulfstream unveiled the clean-sheet G500 and G600, followed in 2019 by the G700 and this year by the G400 and G800, ushering in a new generation of jets that share a common avionics system—Gulfstream’s Honeywell-based Symmetry flightdeck—with sidestick controllers and touchscreen displays. The 8,000-nm-range G800, scheduled to enter service in 2023, will eventually replace the G650.
Still, Ellis believes the performance and relative modernity of the G550 make it an ongoing value proposition.
“You look back at 30-40 years of private aviation, and you see marquee models like the Lear 35, the Citation II, the Falcon 50, the Falcon 2000, the GIV and the G550—they were marquee, namesake aircraft that defined a certain time frame of private travel,” says Ellis. “I think the hall of fame of aviation models would include the G550 for sure.”
—Based in Washington, DC, Bill Carey covers avionics, air traffic management and aviation safety for Aviation Week. A former daily newspaper reporter, he has covered the commercial, business and military aviation segments as well as unmanned aircraft systems. Prior to joining Aviation Week in November 2017, he worked for Aviation International News and Avionics and Rotor & Wing magazines.
