Gulfstream G550

Gulfstream G550 Overview

The $47.95 million Gulfstream G550 mates the latest bells and whistles to an airframe-engine combination that can deliver eight passengers and a crew of four to destinations up to 6,750 nautical miles away. That's Tokyo to Palm Beach, Florida, nonstop in 12.5 hours, with reserves.

On shorter trips, you can take more passengers and stoke the twin Rolls-Royce engines to go even faster—up to Mach 0.885. Gulfstream has posted numerous distance, speed, and time records with the airplane, including Edinburgh, Scotland, to Beijing in eight hours, 47 minutes; Hong Kong to Dubai, U.A.E., in eight hours, 29 minutes; and Guatemala City to Madrid in nine hours, 11 minutes.

The G550 has good speed in the climb, too. Strap in and hold onto your drink. A sea-level takeoff to 37,000 feet requires just 18 minutes and only 5,950 feet of runway with a full load—a fairly impressive performance for a 91,000-pound (maximum takeoff weight) jet. A transcontinental fuel load shortens the required runway to a mere 3,500 feet, and at maximum landing weight, the G550 will stop in just 2,770 feet.