Round-up 4/6

G280 N980GA (2180) ferried Tel Aviv to Stansted on the 30th. Believe this is the 1000th biz-jet built by IAI. G650 N232G (6365) delivered from Long Beach to Yellowstone the same day. New ERs this period were 6368 and 6373. Been ages since we had a G500 delivery so good to see that N499JB (72031) delivered Savannah to Scottsdale today (4th).
Gulfstream have commenced building their new maintenance hangar at Farnborough and when completed will be the biggest facilty after Savannah. See www.ainonline.com
An unusual visitor (?) to Biggin recently was G280 PR-CRC (2066) which was caught by Westleigh Bushell.

Round-up 28/5

G280 N279GA (2179) ferried Tel Aviv to Stansted on the 22nd. Also this day, G650 N691GA (6391) looks to have made a first flight and N690GA (6390) ferried Savannah to Long Beach for completion. New ER this period was 6371.
Interesting to see that G500 N507GD (72007) arrived at EBACE in Geneva last week as a fully fitted demonstrator. It arrived direct from Las Vegas. No other news of note came out of the event.

Fairly rare G4 at Stansted recently. Pic by Marcus Jellyman

Round-up 21/5

G280 N978GA (2178) ferried Tel Aviv to Stansted on the 14th. G550 N223A (5583) delivered to Houston on the 16th. A couple of potential G650 first flights with N690GA (6390) on the 16th and N691GA (6391) on the 19th. New upgrades to G650ER this period were 6365, 6378 and 6382. Gulfstream report that G600  certification is hopefully not far off. See gulfstreamnews.com Also European certification at about the same time meaning deliveries to Europe can commence.

Sad news that a classic Gulfstream crashed in Guatemala on the 18th. Details at aviation-safety.net which should get updated as info is received. Drug running looks like the most likely scenario.

N213X pictured at Shannon in 2010 (via Flightaware)

Round-up 30/4

G650 N685GD (6385) ferried Savannah to Long Beach on the 24th. 6363 became an ER on the register. G280 N277GA (2177) ferried Tel Aviv to Stansted on the 29th.
Q1 results from General Dynamics show a strong quarter helped by 7 G500s in the totals. 20 large cabin machines were delivered. G280s remain at the same level with 7 being delivered.
Many thanks to Iain for finding a pic of G-VIOF on airport-data.com Similar to the last scheme but with rings round the engines now.

Round-up 16/4

G280 N275GA (2175) ferried Tel Aviv to Stansted on the 10th. It was followed on the 12th by N276GA (2176). Looks like Belfast has been knocked on the head as the last 8 have now gone through Stansted. G650 N684GA (6384) looks to have made a first flight on the 12th from Savannah. An unusual ferry flight the same day as N683GD (6383) flew Savannah to Long Beach via Mexicali, Mexico and Yuma. Don't recall a greenie going over the border like this before. 6366 is now a G650ER. A picture has appeared of OE-LLL (link) but still to find one of G-VIOF. A pic of G550 N991JS (link) shows it to be in the colours of Sandals Resorts. Very nice. The recent longest biz jet flight was undertaken by N282GA (6282) which GAC are now using.
Today's picture comes from Eric the Pilot who caught a pair of G650s at Teterboro recently.

Round-up 20/3

A day late this week as haven't been well.
G500 N100JS (72023) delivered to Morristown on the 12th to become the 14th delivery of the type. G280 N473GA (2173) ferried Tel Aviv to Stansted on the 17th. G550 N37NG (5580) delivered to Dulles on the 18th. G650 N656GA (6356) ferried Long Beach to Savannah on the 18th. Cancelled to Malta the following day and is believed to be taking up 9H-OKO. Latest G650ER on the register is 6355.

N656GA at Long Beach by Michael Carter

Round-up 12/3

A busy week started with G280 N272GA (2172) ferrying Tel Aviv to Stansted on the 5th and becoming the 3rd one through this Essex airport in 6 days. Also that day, G650 N677GA (6377) ferried Savannah to Long Beach as GLF62. Managed to miss N654GA (6354) going in the opposite direction on the 3rd. This then cancelled to China that night and left Savannah on the 8th heading to Anchorage. It then continued on to Tianjin, China the following day. G650 N350GD (6350) flew Long Beach to Savannah on the 6th and cancelled to Malta as 9H-CAA on the 7th. Delivered overnight 10th/11th to Luqa in Malta. G550 N591GA (5591) appears to have made a first flight on the 6th from Savannah as GLF93. A first at my local as G500 A7-CGP arrived at Luton on the 6th to become the first G500 to visit here. Hopefully the first of many. G500 N924JE (72024) was delivered from Savannah on the 8th to become the 13th delivery. It routed to Springfield MO via Olathe KS. 6351 upgraded to G650ER.
The 400th post to this blog. Many thanks to the team.

Stunning scheme on this G4 at Luton recently. Pic by Dave Lythgoe

Round-up 12/2

First off, managed to miss a G280 delivery. 4X-CVJ (2168) ferried Tel Aviv to Belfast on the 25th of January. Not sure why it wasn't carrying N968GA. G280 N269GA (2169) ferried Tel Aviv to Stansted on the 6th. G550 LX-PHS flew overnight 10th-11th Brunswick-Halifax-Luxembourg on delivery. This is believed to be con 5572 which was temporarily registered M-OPHS. G650 N1895T did a test flight from Long Beach on the 11th after more than 3 weeks on the ground. Delivery imminent?
Some pics have recently appeared of some greenies at Savannah. Also, N5GG (72014) appears on this blog for the first time. Quite surprising to see N503G without engines as it has previously been seen flying. N506GD is seen in front and have also been told that G600 N612GD is also engineless explaining perhaps why some of the early ones remain a mystery.

My contributor wishes to remain anonymous

Round-up 22/1

Another quiet week. G550 N588GA (5588) appears to have made it's first flight from Savannah on the 14th using the callsign GLF74. G280 N267GA (2167) ferried Tel Aviv to Stansted on the 15th. G650 N1895T returned from Savannah to Long Beach on the 18th following a test flight. Whispers about the next generation of G280 are surfacing. See AINonline
G5 N514GV that I reported as cancelling to the Isle of Man is becoming a bit of a mystery. It has not appeared on their register and I've dropped them a line but to date have not heard back. I'm wondering if some tired unpaid FAA clerk has entered the wrong country. Have previously seen a G450 as cancelled to Australia that actually went to Austria. This suggests to me that it's a drop down list and the IoM may be an error for either Ireland or Israel. The latest Irish update as at 31st December shows nothing so it might have gone to Israel. Any better ideas most welcome.
With the World Economic Forum (WEF) starting today, am expecting a lot of Gulfstreams to be heading that way. Unfortunately, I'm not this year but wish those who go well.

The 2015 WEF at Zurich

Round-up 15/1

A 2 week edition although still not a lot to report. The latest G650 demonstrator N650GF (6341) is in service now and was seen at Liverpool just before Christmas. G280 N216GA (2166) ferried from Tel Aviv to Stansted on the 2nd. The next one doesn't seem to be far away. G650 N1895T (6346) flew from Long Beach to Savannah on the 14th using it's new registration suggesting delivery is imminent. Upgrades on the register to G650ER this period are 6347, 6348, 6349, 6359 and 6360. This now passes the 200 mark for ER conversions. A source has stated that the first G500 with the 7th window is #7 which should be the 2nd production aircraft. Without seeing a picture, I can't confirm but as numbers 6, 7 and 8 are likely to be for Flexjet (my guess only), this seems a little strange. As always, time will tell. Further to my post at the end of October, the new N305CC for Carnival Cruises has been identified as con 6348 and has had a slight change of paint scheme. Thanks as always to Michael Carter. Can't wait to see this at either Fort Lauderdale, where it will be based, or Luton. The old one (6021) is already flying as N300CC.

IAI to Gulfstream pt3

The final part of this story (for now) brings us up to date. The 1126 Galaxy used the Astra SPX wing but had a wider fuselage enabling 3 abreast seating and new engines. It first flew on December 25th 1997. In 2001 (along with the Astra that was in production at the same time) it was rebranded the G200 to reflect the merger with Gulfstream. The last G4s became G300s and G400s (G4SP) to complete the range. A total of 250 G200s were built with the last one being rolled out at Tel Aviv in December 2011.
The G200 evolved in to the G250 and first flew on December 11th 2009. Improvements over the earlier G200 included new engines, an updated glass cockpit and a larger wing plus a T-tail. With China becoming an ever more important customer for Gulfstream, it was found that the number 250 in Mandarin was "inappropriate" so the model was rebranded as the G280. Deliveries of these to Dallas for outfitting continue as can be seen in the updates on this blog.
Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) have now been producing biz jets for 50 years and are just about at the 1000 mark (the 180th G280 will do that). Long may they continue.

G200 above at GVA and G280 below at PBI

Round-up 1/1

Happy New Year. More to report this week than I anticipated. The FAA register came back up on Thursday which has helped the cause. The previously mentioned N640GA (6340) cancelled to Bermuda on the 21st and took up VQ-BCT. This sounds like a replacement for VP-BCT but info received suggests it isn't. Former demonstrator N650ER (6306) was cancelled to Guernsey on the 27th but no new registration has come to light yet. G550 N584GA (5584) has been registered to L3 Communications suggesting this will be a special mission aircraft. G5 N514GV (514) cancelled to the IoM on the 28th. Again, no new registration yet. G280 N965GA finally left Luton on the 29th continuing it's flight to Halifax. New ERs this period were 6346 and 6358. Somewhat belatedly, Gulfstream have announced the delivery of the 2 Qatar G500s. See gulfstreamnews.com

via GAC

Round-up 25/12

Suppose I'd better start by wishing all my readers a Happy Christmas and a great 2019. Am fairly confident there will be plenty of Gulfstreams and news in the next 12 months.
But now, back to business. G650 N640GA (6340) flew from Appleton to Savannah on the 18th and returned to Appleton on the 20th suggesting a delivery may not be far away. How long it will take to report this is anyone's guess with the current US Government shutdown which has taken the FAA register with it. Looked like G650 N650TY (6109) was being re-delivered to Portland on the 19th but returned to Long Beach on the 20th. It departed LGB on the 22nd heading to Guam and then onwards to Manila the following day. G500 N5GG (72014) was delivered Savannah-Teterboro-Boston on the 19th to become the 9th delivery of the type. G500 N518GD (72018) did flights from Savannah to White Plains and back on the 19th and I understand took up it's registration of N188SW and was delivered to White Plains on the 21st to become the 10th delivered. Also on the 19th (a busy day for sure) G280 N965GA (2165) ferried from Tel Aviv to Belfast. It positioned down to Luton the following day for some TLC. It attempted to depart on the 22nd but had to return. Still present as I write.

N965GA seen departing Luton on the 22nd by John Lythgoe



First G280 for Portugal

My good friend Joao Sa Pessoa has just sent me this picture of G280 CS-VLZ (2149) taken at Lisbon-Cascais a few days ago. Has only recently been delivered although did pass through Stansted as a greenie in June.



Round-up 11/12

More catch up. G650 N93M (6333) appears to have delivered on the 29th although the register still shows this as a reservation. G550 N572GA (5572) cancelled to M-OPHS on the 6th, presumably a replacement for M-IPHS. G650 OE-LTF (6327) delivered overnight 8th/9th from Savannah to Ronaldsway IoM before continuing on to Vienna. G650 N555GA (6334) delivered Savannah-Philadelphia-Boeing Field on the 9th. Also this day, G280 N164GA (2164) ferried Tel Aviv to Stansted. Incidentally, today (11th) is the 9th anniversary of the first flight of the G280. G650 N298AL (6342) delivered Appleton to Oxford CT on the 10th. Just the 1 upgrade to G650ER to report, this being 6344.
Further to last weeks post, G650 N2437 was cancelled from the US register on the 4th. It was caught by Guernsey Airport Photography (link) shortly after painting.

1st Gulfstream on the new Irish Executive register



Round-up 4/12

Managed to miss one off last week. G550 N586GA (5586) appears to have made a first flight from Savannah on the 26th. G650 N9527C departed Long Beach for Savannah on the 27th. On the same day going in the opposite direction was G650 N663GD (6363) as GLF64. G280 N163GA (2163) ferried Tel Aviv to Stansted on the 29th. G650 N9527C (6339) delivered from Savannah on the 29th for Honolulu. It continued on to Guam on the 1st. Still there as I write this but it's believed that Hong Kong will be the final destination. G650 N2437 (6171) was re-registered as EJ-ADMI, the 1st Gulfstream on this new executive register, although the US register doesn't reflect this yet. G650 N650GF (6341) is fully painted up as a 650ER demonstrator but why GAC would use a GF suffix is a mystery. Good to see some more 550 reservations appearing (see right). On a personal note, all my recent Florida pics have been uploaded and am now working on getting Zenfolio up to date.

N9527C departing Long Beach on the 27th by Michael Carter



Round-up 27/11

A lot to catch up with. G650 N828CC (6324) entered service on the 13th from St. Louis as GAJ12. On the same day, Exxon's N100A (6331) was delivered to East Texas (GGG). G500 N500H (72012) delivered Savannah to Santa Teresa (DNA) on the 15th. Appears to be the 2nd one based here. G650 M-ARDI (6337) was delivered to Ronaldsway on the 16th before continuing on to Biggin Hill. N635GD (6335) was cancelled to Zambia on the 16th and took up AF001. It arrived at Basel on the 21st for outfitting. See video N656GA (6356) flew from Savannah to Long Beach on the 19th. G650 N194WM was delivered to Boeing Field on the 19th. The following G650s were converted to ER on the register. 6337, 6341 and 6343. G280 N261GA (2161) flew Tel Aviv to Stansted on the 13th and N262GA (2162) ferried Tel Aviv to Belfast on the 22nd. Several more G500 reservations have appeared. See list in column to the right.

AF001 by Yann Parmentier via Scramble

Plenty of Gulfstream pics being added to my Flickr account this week from Florida.

Round-up 6/11

Flexjet have again gone to the market and G450 4238 is now registered N458FX, the 9th in the fleet. G650 N658GD (6358) flew from Savannah to Long Beach on the 30th as GLF68. G280 N260GA (2160) flew from Tel Aviv to Stansted on the 31st. Looks like N530GD has started flying. The 30th G500. 6329 has been upgraded to G650ER. Been over a month since the last one.
Did you know that the first business jet to fly over both poles was the Gulfstream 3? This occurred in November 1983, 35 years ago. The frame in question was N303GA (357). See link for more info

via GAC



Round-up 23/10

G650 N721MM (6332) departed Long Beach on the 17th heading to Atlanta-Peachtree on it's delivery flight. It flew to Gulfport–Biloxi the following day before finally arriving at Las Vegas on the 19th. G280 N259GA (2159) flew from Tel Aviv to Stansted on the 18th. G650 2-EPIC (6286) finally delivered when it departed Long Beach on the 19th heading to Anchorage. It continued on to Shenzhen the following day. G650 9H-CAA (?c/n) has been spotted at Long Beach recently sporting the same colours as Global 5000 OE-ICA so presumably is for Avcon Jet of Moscow. G150 N162RU (245) cancelled to Estonia on the 17th to become, I believe, the first Gulfstream on that register. Talking of registers, 30 G650s have been added to the US one bringing allocations up to 6395.
G650 N888YT (6013) has just been registered as N651FX which would suggest this is the 2nd of the type for Flexjet. Strange they would go to the used market so soon. Possibly to cover late delivery of G500s (?)

N721MM departing on delivery. Pic by Michael Carter

First Czech G280 delivered

G280 OK-RLV (2151) arrived at Prague yesterday on delivery from Dallas via Bangor and Stansted. Many thanks to David Kucera for allowing me to use some of his pictures.