A Longtime Gulfstream Operator Upgrades

Corporations that have flown Gulfstreams for more than half a century should be noted for their customer loyalty. One example is Eli Lilly and Company of Indianapolis, Indiana. The 144-year-old pharmaceutical giant received its first example in January 1966. The Grumman G-159 Gulfstream (c/n 161) wore N307EL.

During the past 54 years, the company has also operated two G-1159 Gulfstream IIs (c/n 68/N308EL and c/n 250/N309EL) and three G-IV Gulfstream IVs (c/n 1021/N310EL, c/n 1095/N311EL and c/n 1105/N312EL). The latter two (registered on May 23, 1989 and August 19, 1989, respectively) are currently the longest serving G-IVs with their original owner.

In addition to those six Gulfstreams, Lilly has operated a BAC 1-11-401AK (c/n 072/N310EL), a Boeing 707-323C freighter (c/n 18692/N309EL) and a Beech 200 Super King Air (c/n BB-708/N313EL).

On May 29, 2020, a new GVII-G500 Gulfstream G500 (c/n 72045) was registered to Eli Lilly as N307EL. A second G500 (c/n 72052/N308EL) is expected to join the flight department at KIND later this year. Given that the two G-IVs are 31-years-old, its seems likely that these veterans will be retired.

For a company with annual sales of US$22.3 billion and 34,000 employees, Lilly has been prudent with the size of its fleet. The fact that it has once again selected a Gulfstream model speaks volumes about its expectation that the G500s will be able to perform reliably for many years to come.