The Gulfstream G650

Redefining Sky Culture

During the late 1950s and early 60s, Come fly with me, the classic tune performed by the chairman of the board, the late great Frank Sinatra, came to define the heyday of air travel in a time when class didn’t mean coach and when jet-setting meant something more than A to B, cramped seats and stale peanuts. For the privileged few who roamed the friendly skies in those carefree days, traveling the globe became its own culture, a café society of sorts made famous by the film, La Dolce Vita, which went on to inspire a world filled with sleek style, utter refinement and the best of life.

On-board the early fleet of PanAm’s Boeing 707s, men wore Italian hand-woven suits while women dressed to the nines in Parisian inspired fashions. It was an era when pilots and stewardesses were likened to superstars and when thoughts of traveling to exotic far off destinations like Bora Bora or the ancient Orient were no longer dreams, but a reality.

While those times have come and gone, losing its caché to the overcrowded airline industry of today; the ability to capture mile high elegance is still alive and well. Business Class has become a popular option for frequent fliers while First Class has taken luxury to a whole new level, offering flat beds, personal in-flight entertainment and impeccable service. Private jet travel has also seen staggering growth due to fractional jet ownership, separating the word multi from million, for travelers simply looking to make a timeshare purchase. But for those who want nothing but the best in aviation; the true redefining of the jet-set culture can be summed up in one word – Gulfstream, and their recently unveiled G650 flagship, the widest, fastest and longest-range business jet ever conceived.

For commercial travelers who see flying as wasted time they’ll never get back, the opposite is true when flying on the G650. The few hours you spend on board are hours you’ll want to keep as you cruise toward your destination in unbridled comfort and luxury. There’s room to move, to think, to achieve. This is due to the aircraft’s large cabin, which has a width of over eight feet and a height of more than six feet. The additional space allows for more legroom, larger seats, wider isles and the capability of having three-across seating at the conference table for that all important power lunch in the sky.

Passengers will also appreciate the larger windows - stretched to a panoramic 28 inches - giving those who favor the window seat, a better view from the top. For passengers who prefer to close the shades and catch some Zs, the G650 creates a serene environment for relaxation with its industry leading 4,850 feet of maximum cabin altitude, 100% fresh air outflow and soft cabin sound levels that make falling into REM sleep effortless.

The beautifully appointed interiors further set Gulfstream apart from the competition. The G650 offers 12 select cabin arrangements, giving owners the choice of forward or aft galleys, the option of crew areas and a new stateroom configuration. The aircraft comfortably accommodates up to 18 passengers and their luggage, providing additional baggage capacity with a larger external access door and improved loading capability.

At the core of the Gulfstream flagship is its record breaking range and speed. Capable of flying up to 7,000 nautical miles at a maximum altitude of 51,000 feet, the G650 pushes the boundaries, literally. At maximum thrust, the aircraft, powered by two Roll-Royce BR725 engines, produces 17,000 pounds of thrust. Flying at a cruising speed of Mach 0.85 (562 mph) and at a top speed of Mach 0.925 (610 mph) means you’ll wake up having breakfast overlooking Gustavia Harbor in St. Barths and arrive in Italy’s Cortina Province just in time for an authentic Italian dinner.

When it comes to safety, the Gulfstream G650 stands at the forefront. Retrofitted with a three-axis fly-by-wire system for redundancy and maintainability, the advanced flight controls ensure consistent handling qualities and flight envelope protection for a smoother, more comfortable ride. The G650 also features the exclusive PlaneView cockpit, which improves a pilot’s situational awareness, and is further equipped with a triplex flight management system, automatic emergency decent mode, standby multi-function controllers and a new 3-D weather radar, making it one of the safest, most advanced business jets to ever grace the sky.

For all the Gulfstream G650 has to offer, its no wonder why it is the most expensive business jet ever built, making “the air up there” all the more rare with its $60 million price tag. While you may not necessarily have to purchase the plane outright - as fractional ownership companies will surely scoop up a few - the exclusivity and carte blanche appeal of having the ability to travel anywhere on the globe on a whim is enough to evoke the jet-set days of air travel and Sinatra’s carpe diem inspired closing lyrics - Pack up, let’s fly away!