gulfstream G650ER business jet defines luxury + high performance at farnborough international airshow
showcasing the latest innovations in civil, business, defense and space aviation, the biennial farnborough international airshow is a major and unmissable event in the aviation calendar. the occasion attracts over 1,500 exhibitors, big and small, from all over the world including gulfstream aerospace. for the 2016 affair, the american company was a key attraction, displaying their fleet of technologically advanced business jets.
the ‘G650ER’ business jet
first formed back in 1957, the savannah, georgia-based corporation now employs over 15,000 people at 12 major locations, spread across four different continents. having built more than 2,500 aircrafts in their history, the brand currently features a six strong family of business jets. this production line offers the ‘G150’ and ‘G280’ mid-cabin aircrafts, and the large cabin ‘G450’, ‘G550’, ‘G650’ and the top of the range gulfstream ‘G650ER’. fitted for fortune 500 companies, private corporations, VIP/military personnel and chartered businesses, the individually designed and manufactured aircrafts deliver the world’s best aviation experience.
the newly opened sales and design center in london
helping to achieve this aim, gulfstream offers design centers in savannah, dallas (texas), long beach (california) and london (UK), to aid customer support. the newly opened sales and design center in the british capital, designed by LSM studio, replicates the same experience in terms of precision and refinement for clientele, as they would get with their prospective aircraft. visiting this center, designboom was given exclusive insight into gulfstream’s design process that their international customers experience.
here, clients can use gulfstream’s new, technologically advanced visualization software, ‘designbook’. displaying an image of their desired cabin in real time, on a monitor or tablet, the application enables them to get a feel for an interior. the changes happen immediately, enabling customers to see their cabin configurations, colors, fabrics and furnishing adjustments as they pick and choose in realtime. furthermore, the options app captures all of the clients’ wishes in technical terms, as it shows the weight and cost of each addition.
gulfstream’s design team develops everything in-house – even the accessories, cutlery and chinaware
with each interior created specifically for the buyer, gulfstream’s team of designers stop at no lengths to ensure complete happiness with their product and service. the ‘designbook’ technology gave us a fantastic initial impression of the exceptional customer service and interior design that gulfstream offer, but to really experience the full capabilities of the historic aerospace corporation, we had to see a plane for ourselves.
the helicopter ride flew a select group of journalists from central london to the farnborough international airshow
image © designboom
given an almost door-to-door helicopter ride from central london to the farnborough international airshow, gulfstream provided designboom with a fully luxurious travel experience. this continued as soon as we were given a tour of their fleet of business jets, and stepped onto their top model aircraft, the gulfstream ‘G650ER’, on the occasion of the most important event annually in the luxury transportation field.
designboom’s view of london
image © designboom
up-in-the-air view of the farnborough airshow
image © designboom
said to be above everything else and untouchable in terms of performance, superlatives are endless when describing the ‘G650ER’. it offers the longest range, fastest speed, largest cabin and gulfstream’s most advanced flight deck. the plane can travel 7,500 nautical miles (nm)/13,890 kilometers at mach 0.85 and flies even faster at mach 0.90 for 6,400 nm/11,853 km.
the large oval windows provides an immersive and light cabin
image © designboom
giving a tour of the ‘G650ER’ cabin were interior design director, tray crow, and studio designer, nicole fransen. tray began by illustrating how all aspects of creating a gulfstream plane is done in-house, from the industrial design development of the seats, lighting and accessories through to its manufacture. they employ high levels of hand-craftsmanship, where old fashion techniques highlight the company’s attention to detail and their great care.
only the best quality materials are used in the interior
image © designboom
no more is this shown than with their choice and application of materials. using only the best and highest quality available, nicole goes on to explain how their choice of interior materials not only meet their performance and safety requirements, but also provides a timeless design and a top class tactile experience. she outlines how, as seen in the show model, current cabin trends follow a powerful yet elegant design that contrasts light and dark tones with the infusion of a luxurious grey.
multiple cabin configurations are available to the client
delving further in to the interior, tray commented on how the cabin features no fixed screens, which creates a more open and flexible space. instead, the jet utilizes a cabin management system app that allows passengers to use their personal smart devices in order to control audio and video components, and the lighting, temperature and window shades. this technology, described by nicole as helping them create a home away from home for the customers, demonstrates and sums up gulfstream’s constant strive to offer the world’s best aviation experience.
a look in to the plane’s luxury galley
