Gulfstream's GIV
By Mark Huber - August 1, 2010
Applying the language of golf, the Gulfstream IV is a solid par performer. It’s a no-drama player that hits straight down the middle, avoids the hazards and posts consistent scores.
Typically priced at around $8 million, a good used GIV represents an enormous value in terms of speed, range, cabin size and passenger capacity. You can fly it with all 14 seats full 3,800 nautical miles at speeds up to 476 knots–faster than anything else in its class.
However, picking the wrong GIV can open the gates of misery. “Buying a 20-year-old, complex airplane, you have to ask where it has been based, how it has been operated and who has maintained it,” cautioned jet broker Josh Mesinger. “Underneath the skin, you could have a real junker.”
Mesinger said that in May, 45 used GIVs were on the market, but most of them weren’t worth consideration because of high hours, damage, poor maintenance history and high prices. Still, if you desire a standup cabin and more than transcontinental range, you need to seriously consider putting the GIV on your shopping list.
The GIV’s main attribute is its versatility, said retired corporate pilot Darcy Eggeman, who has logged 3,500 hours in the airplane. “You can get into the smaller airports and yet travel anywhere in the world with it,” noted Eggeman, who praised the GIV’s aggressive climb performance, durability and comparatively low maintenance needs. “It’s such a workhorse.”
First delivered in 1987, the GIV followed the wildly popular GIII. The GIII debuted in 1976, was first delivered in 1979 and cemented Gulfstream’s reputation as the leading business jet provider of the 1980s. It set speed and distance records in its category, could be configured to seat 15 passengers and was the first business jet to feature winglets as standard equipment. But the GIII’s twin Rolls-Royce Spey engines used classic 1950s technology: they were powerful, dirty, noisy fuel suckers that were robust but hideously expensive to maintain. While the GIII was fine for jumping to Europe from the East Coast, Gulfstream’s customers told the company they wanted even more range and better operating economics.
Gulfstream began designing a four-engine, follow-on aircraft to the GIII in the early 1980s. But reconfiguring the airplane to accommodate four engines added complexity and weight and reduced performance margins. Late in the program’s design, Gulfstream opted to keep the GIV a twinjet, using a new Rolls-Royce engine being developed for the airlines called the Tay. The Tay’s larger fan gave the engine better operating economics, cleaner emissions and a lower noise signature, while still providing 13,850 pounds of thrust. However, the aircraft also needed a new wing that weighed less, could hold 1,000 more gallons of fuel than the GIII and had less aerodynamic drag.
Share This Article With Others