At that time, Grumman had been asking G-159 owners if they would be interested in a jet version of the aircraft. After it was determined that a market did exist for a corporate jet that could fly non-stop across the Atlantic Ocean, production of the G-1159 Gulfstream II was launched on May 5, 1965. It first flew on October 2, 1966 and the first customer aircraft (c/n 5, N100P) was delivered in early 1968. On May 5 that year, N100P became the first corporate jet to cross the pond non-stop when it flew from Teterboro, NJ to London's Gatwick Airport.
The first Canadian GII (c/n 7, CF-HOG) was received by Home Oil at Calgary in August 1968. The second (c/n 9, CF-SBR) went to Denison Mines at Toronto a month later. Each of those companies had operated a G-159 before replacing it with a Dassault Falcon 20C. Now they had upgraded to Grumman's flagship.
During the following 11 years, three more new GIIs arrived in Canada: c/n 52, CF-FNM with Falconbridge Nickel Mines in Toronto; c/n 140, C-GTWO with International Nickel in Toronto; and c/n 232, C-GDPB with Dome Petroleum in Calgary. As well, ten previously-owned GIIs flew for Canadian companies including Imperial Oil, Noranda Mines, Kaiser Resources, TransCanada PipeLines, Ranger Oil and Bell Canada. One of these other examples (c/n 28, C-GCFB) was operated by Transport Canada as an airways calibration aircraft.
During the past half-century, 15 of the 256 Gulfstream IIs built have graced the Canadian Civil Aircraft Register. Today there are none.
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| The first three Canadian GIIs at Toronto. Photos courtesy of George Trussell. |
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