The first customer has arrived in Savannah, Georgia, to take delivery of Gulfstream’s newly certified G280. The super-midsize business jet was a joint effort between Gulfstream and Israel Aerospace Industries and it achieved certification on August 30 from the FAA and the Civil Aviation Authority of Israel.
Gulfstream does not make planned deliveries public, but based on information from General Dynamics chairman Jay Johnson, about a dozen “green” G280s are expected to be completed this year. The airplane’s backlog extends into late 2014.
“It won’t be long before we’re seeing the G280 landing and taking off at airports around the world,” said Scott Neal, senior vice president, sales and marketing, at Gulfstream.
To make the transition from the G200 seamless, Gulfstream toured several FBOs prior to the first delivery to get employees handling the airplane up to speed on the particulars of the G280. “That was just one of several efforts intended to ensure a smooth entry-into-service for this aircraft,” Neal said.
With the PlaneView280, the G280 is the first airplane in its class to be equipped with Rockwell Collins’ Pro Line Fusion integrated flight deck. PlaneView280 incorporates a head-up guidance display with synthetic vision and MultiScan weather radar, which automatically scans for weather threats, including turbulence.
Gulfstream claims the performance capabilities of the G280 makes it “the only super-midsize aircraft that can reliably fly nonstop between London and New York.” To learn more about the G280, check out Robert Goyer’s feature here.
