Weeks after the last delivery of its former flagship model, the G650, Gulfstream announced the first customer delivery of its biggest, longest-range and most expensive aircraft to date, the G800. When the final figures were crunched, the new plane beat its performance targets. It will go 8,200 nautical miles at Mach 0.8 and 7,000 nm for those in a hurry at the high-speed cruise of Mach 0.9. The launch customer’s name was not released. “The G800 is entering service with extraordinary program maturity, just like the Gulfstream G700 before it,” said Gulfstream President Mark Burns. “We look forward to customers around the world experiencing the aircraft’s remarkable capabilities and cabin comfort.”
Long legs and near supersonic speeds aside, the aircraft also offers a wide range of creature comforts, some of them groundbreaking. The cabin is pressurized to 2840 feet when the plane is flying at 41,000 feet and includes a plasma ionization air purification system for the constantly recycled cabin air. The plane is the size of a regional airliner and can be outfitted with four distinct living areas or three living areas and dedicated crew quarters. The first customer plane was built in Savannah and finished at the Gulfstream completion center in Appleton, Wisconsin.
