Despite a test flight crash in April 2011 that killed four, Gulfstream‘s $64.5 million G650, the most luxury and the fastest business jet with a maximum operating cruise speed of Mach 0.925 is selling like hot cakes. Production has already begun and Gulfstream expects to deliver 17 aircraft by the end of the year. The U.S. company has now sold (already commissioned) more than 200 of the corporative jets worldwide, but names of the buyers are well kept secret. In 2011, The New York Post reported that Ralph Lauren, Oprah Winfrey and Warren Buffet also want one.
With a range of 7000 nautical miles, the G650 will carry eight passengers and a crew of four non-stop from Tokyo to New York, New York to Dubai, Shanghai to London and Moscow to Los Angeles. According to Pres Henne, senior vice president, Programs, Engineering and Test, for Gulfstream, it would be 40 minutes less than the same mission flown on a G550.
“When every minute counts, a 40-minute savings is considerable,”he said.
The G650 comes standard with many advanced safety features making it the most technologically advanced business aircraft in the sky. With its two Rolls Royce BR725 A1-12 engines, Gulfstream G650 is surpassed any traditional business jet available today.
