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Issue 6 January 2023
Dassault Falcon 8X - Flared for landing in Aspen
This issue catch Ms. Lauri Church and her amazing team at Comlux / Indiana - the leading US completion company for narrow-body VVIP
F E A T U R E S
1 VBH Technology - The Great Disappearing Act
7 ALTO Aviation - Seat-centric Cabin Audio.
11 INGENIO - An Elegant Solution
26 Jetzign Feature - Lauri Church and the Comlux Design Team
Issue 6 January 2023
JetCabin Freshbook 2023 . all rights reserved
f r e s h b o o k . a e r o
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Rick W. Roseman
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D E P A R T M E N T S
CITADEL Completions BBJ Max / Design by RRAD
Words from the Editor
Ok I'm going to skip all the syruby, overplayed well-wishes for the new year. For a week or so after the ball drops it's all good, but beyond that, it just gets annoying, right? But what I will talk about is what I've seen over the past year, amazing game-changing innovations that will soon change jet interiors forever.
My first example is a story we did a story on Li-Fi (and yes LiFi, not WiFi) which is the emerging technology that will deliver content across the cabin in-flight at staggering speeds, up to and beyond 100 GBPS (and yes that's Gigabytes!), all via the laser light spectrum and transmitted through existing light sources in the cabin. To say this is a game changer, is to grossly underplay it - and it's happening right now. You'll begin to see it on aircraft as early as Q-2 of this year.
We also did a piece on cabin audio technology that for the first time ever, brings Dolby Atmos theater quality sound to VVIP aircraft cabins. Why is this significant? Because of all the sound systems touted, developed and installed in VIP aircraft over the last thirty years, none of them ever came close to delivering the sound quality that we could experience by simply going to a movie theater where Dolby Atmos surround sound was installed - which by the way, began showing up in theaters 25 years ago. Why did it take so long? Well there are a myriad of reasons, but again to say it's a game changer, is to understate it.
We also took a ride through the historical evolution of VIP seats, one that is finally soaring, after decades of stagnation. This is one of my own personal obsessions, the advancement lag in VVIP and SFC cabins. In the past, most VIP seats have been glorified tombstones with seat frames that afforded little more than upholstery buildups to try and make them comfortable and aesthetically pleasing - but never coming anywhere near what we have in our homes. That, I'm happy to say, is changing and rapidly - thanks to several forward thinking companies bold enough to design and certify new platforms.
And lastly (although just now seeing ink), is Blended Technology, the subject of our first feature in this issue, wherein we expose an amazing new technology that literally makes large wall-mounted TV monitors disappear. How does that happen? Well the technology is detailed in the article below, but suffice to say, it's yet another game changer for VVIP and SFC cabins. Imagine the possibilities of being able to hide those unsightly wall-mounted monitors into the material it's surrounded by, or anything else you like, at the click of a button or voice command. The possibilities for both designers and owners are amazing.
As with technology in almost all sectors of our lives, the curve is near vertical these days - and it's no different in aviation interiors. When many of us grew up, the future was always something that loomed in the distance - but not anymore. In today's world, from press release to 'on the shelves' is getting shorter and shorter, often leaving little time to prepare for what's around the corner.
Welcome to the future!
Richard Roseman - Co-founder / Editor
First Visit? JCF Magazine is about jet interiors, and only jet interiors; the designers that design them, the centers that build them and above all, the cabin supplier groups - worldwide, that ultimately make it all possible.
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Out of Sight...Never Out of Reach
Blended Technology
Article by: Rick Roseman
Conundrum: How does one go about getting rid of an eyesore?
Answer: Make it invisible.
It’s a catchy tagline, right? Is it designed to compel you into reading the article? Yes…but in this case, it’s way more than a hookline. There is a small company in the Netherlands that is, in the very truest sense of the word, making things disappear. Let’s say you are one of the top aviation designers in the world – and congratulations if you are. As a designer myself, I know at least one commonality we all share, and that is that there are things that support our designs and things that do not! For the sake of the article, let’s call these detractors. Detractors come in many forms but the trait they all share is that they are necessary evils, thing we must deal with but given the option,
certainly wouldn’t.
One of the premier examples of this, are large, wall mounted TV monitors. They may have been quite the accoutrement we all wanted to show off in the 80’s, but today, they’re glaring eyesores - massive black holes that take a carving knife to aesthetics. From almost anyone’s perspective these days, unless you happen to be watching a movie or sporting event, you simply don’t want to see them. Yes, of course, we have the age-old servo operated lifts that can hide them beneath a cabinet or sideledge, but they’re slow, they’re noisy and they consume huge amounts of otherwise usable space.
So, what then? Well as the answer to my little conundrum above suggests, you simply make them disappear. And I mean literally.
Today I had the pleasure of sitting down with Mr. Jeroen van den Hurk, of Van Berge Henegouwen (VBH), a technology integrator in the Netherlands. And I will tell you before we get started, it was one of the most exciting interviews I’ve conducted since the inception of our magazine. Why? Because it’s groundbreaking, wildly impressive and heralds a new era in the way we think about the blending of technology and aesthetics.
Educated at university as an electronics engineer, Mr. Van den Hurk also attended yet another institution of higher learning (to which he humorously refers), at Phillips Electronics –
the globally recognized Dutch company we’re all familiar with. “If you’re in tech in this part of the world,” he explains, “it’s almost a rite of passage, the place where you get your real education.” And so he did, eventually leaving and working for several other companies, then heading a few more at the CEO or Managing Director level. But only when he took the position of of CEO with VBH did the opportunities for truly remarkable advancements really begin.
And like many such supplier companies in VIP private aviation, VBH cut its teeth on yachts, not just any yachts mind you, but superyachts – a handle that in prior decades belonged to boats in the 24-50 meter range, but now is defined by those at 60 meters and beyond. And to give you an idea of their experience in such yachts, they have installed their technology on more than 300 of them. Now to be fair, it should be pointed out that The Netherlands is yacht building territory, with several of the world’s most prestigious yards within its borders – and several more next door, in Germany. But nonetheless, superyachts are all mammoth in scale and very complex by nature. More importantly, superyachts belong to the very same customers that own high-end business jets and VVIP aircraft. So, generally speaking, what is desirous on yachts to their owners, will soon be on aircraft, or vice-versa. With that in mind, let’s jump to the 2022 Monaco Yacht Show. At this year’s show they rolled out their new “Invisible” technology and to say it was well received, is to put it mildly.
“It’s what we call an intelligent solution,” says Mr. Van den Hurk. “and it’s taken years of exhaustive trial and error to develop and perfect.”
In Mr. Van den Hurk’s words, “I have attended countless trade shows in my life but I think I have never ever in my life experienced what we experienced in Monaco this year. It seems the solutions we have developed are spot on, in terms of what both the owners and the operators want.”
What exactly were these owners presented with? Well, we’ll begin with the Blended Display Solution, one of VBH’s patented Invisible Technology line’s product. It was showcased as an actual installed, functioning application. That is to say that a large 5K OLED screen was integrated in a marble wall, plainly viewable to everyone around and then, at the flip of a switch, it disappeared. Now I know what you’re thinking. Big deal, so they took some high-resolution images of the surrounding wall’s materials, matched up the scale and then simply displayed it on the monitor…voilà! Ah, NO, not even close. The technology VBH has developed literally makes the monitor disappear – from any angle, in any light and in perfect indiscernible harmony with the adjacent materials, be it wood veneers, stone, fabric or what have you.
Juliette Warter, (LUMI Consultancy), the company’s independent strategy, marketing and events representative confirmed that people were literally walking up to the ‘vanished’ monitor and literally scratching the surface to try and make sense of what they’d witnessed. Now this is where I have to tell you I personally haven’t actually experienced the technology, but countless other people in attendance all share a similar accounting. “It’s what we call an intelligent solution,” says Mr. Van den Hurk. “and it’s taken years of exhaustive trial and error to develop and perfect.” But even at that, it seems on the surface, like an almost imponderable feat, a real marvel. It’s truly a groundbreaking technology solving one the major ‘eyesore’ issues in modern high-end interiors – not to mention placing a new and remarkable tool in the hands of the world’s top designers, shipyards and completion centers.
But perhaps even more remarkable is HOW they got there. I asked Mr. Van den Hurk how it all unfolded, and his answer was quite interesting.
“We started by conducting extensive interviews with everybody from the owners to their reps, to the maintenance engineers, the captains and on and on.” He explains. “We started by asking what the top 10 things are that they like or wanted to see improved. But once we started getting their feedback and started to interpret it, we realized the top 10 wasn’t nearly so important; as another far more imperative ranking – the FLOP 10. Almost all the customers and professionals we spoke with were interested in telling us what they didn’t like – and that became our starting point.
I could give all of them to you, but I'll start with a few examples of what they hate, the top flops!” he says with a laugh. “At the top of the list was that they are tired of using iPads or touchpads for everything on board. 15 years ago, it was amazing to have a hand-held touchpad from which you could control everything. Wow! But the wow factor is long-gone. It's now become an annoyance. Nobody, be it owner, guests or crew want to search for an iPad, spend time scrolling through five menus, then find the button and finally switch the light off, right?”
I explained how often we get the same from the designers and others we speak to, each publish cycle. And of course, I knew what was coming next.
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BBJ Max Concept by: Cheryl Pelly Design
"The top DESIGN studios around the world are absolutely the ones that inform the industry and set the new trends."
Jetzign is where we highlight the very latest from the top designers and studios. Whether it be the iconic independents or the great design departments within the world's top completion centers, this is where you will find their latest works - and always with an emphasis on the near-term future of cabin design.
SkyYacht ONE / courtesy: Sotto Studios
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Interview & article by: Richard W. Roseman
It isn't often you get a chance to sit down with three senior officers in a company like ALTO. Maybe it was the wind down to the holidays or just dumb luck, but in this case I was able to visit with all three of ALTO's senior execs - and since a single interviewee always tends to deliver from the unique perspective of their title - this was a great opportunity to get the full story on this great cabin supplier group.
We decided to do this one Q&A style and then simply let the most appropriate officer weigh in. Our three interviewees for the article are: Mr. Don Hamilton - President, Mr. Steve Scarlata - VP Engineering / R&D, and Ms. Cristina Scarlata - Senior Director of Strategic Marketing. So let's jump in. . .
Can we start by asking you to tell us when ALTO was founded, what initial products you offered at the time - and the evolution that has brought you to where you are today?
Mr. Don Hamilton, President, ALTO Aviation (DH)
DH: ALTO was founded in 1997 to bring high-end audio to aviation and transform the industry's audio performance expectations. Before ALTO, I was part of a small team at Bose that designed the first true high-performance audio system to be installed at the OEM level in the Gulfstream GIV.
When we started ALTO, Bose contracted us to take over their engineering and manufacturing of that system. We earned the trust of the Gulfstream team that we worked with, and when Bose exited the cabin systems area, Gulfstream brought ALTO on and helped us become a world-class supplier.
We have had cabin audio product standard on every Gulfstream aircraft for over 20 years and are forever grateful for the opportunity they provided. We know that trust means everything in this industry, so when we introduced a complete audio system solution to the industry, in addition to superior product performance, we had industry experience and a proven product with substantiating field data to build confidence with our customers.
Our systems continue to set new audio performance standards, and we ensure that all new products' offerings live up to the standards we set for ourselves and the reputation we have worked hard to build since we started.
Our first 25 years have been truly exciting for us. With our products flying on well over 5,000 aircraft, we look forward to building on that in the future. Without our customers, industry partners, and supply chain partners, we wouldn't be where we are. We appreciate each one of them and are especially grateful to our amazing ALTO team that makes it all happen.
The one thing that has always strikes me when on visiting your site from time to time, is the seemingly always growing roster of new products or significant upgrades to existing ones. Is this merely a function of being a CMS supplier and the fact that technology is constantly changing, or has ALTO always sort of focused on new innovations and aggressively staying ahead of the curve?
Mr. Steve Scarlata, Vice President Engineering and R&D
SS: It's a combination of all those reasons. Still, the main one is that we actively listen to our customers and always engineer to bring products that our customers really need and add value to their aircraft while enhancing the passengers' experience. Customer interaction at all levels drives what our next products will be. Our sales team works closely with all our customers to see what their customers are looking for. Our engineering division teams up with our customers on solving technical challenges they see at the design level or implementation.
The growing roster of new products and upgrades comes from that excellent cooperation and partnership. In addition to that cooperation with our customers, our R&D team is constantly looking at new technologies and product ideas with the evolution and future of aviation in mind. Alto R&D investment supports our strong commitment to continuing to lead the way and being the industry reference for aviation in our area of expertise. Some will make its way into our products, and some will not, the coolest new technology won't become a product if it doesn't support our customers' needs.
Would you consider yourselves more of an In-Flight Entertainment provider or a Cabin Management Systems group? Can you elaborate on this please – and perhaps explain if one led into the other for ALTO?
DH: I would say we do not consider ourselves a certain type of product provider. Our first offering to the aviation industry was a high-end audio system designed specifically for aircraft. Audio has always been a passion for ALTO, and when we started, the industry had very low expectations of what sound quality could be achieved in an aircraft. We worked very hard for many years to build trust with our customers and show the industry that they should expect nothing but the best sound quality and product quality from us.
As time passed, our customers started asking us to develop certain types of products, which led to our move into the CMS area and continues to guide us into the future. As we look forward, I consider us a passenger experience provider. Our new MySound™ product focuses on the individual passenger rather than the aircraft. We are working on many exciting new projects focused on the experience and wellness of the passenger.
Your new "Seat-Centric" MySound™ product sounds fascinating and seems to be something of a true innovation in jet cabin audio systems. Can you please tell us about this new system and how it came about – as well as what it means for the passenger?
SS: ALTO's goal for cabin audio is to provide every passenger with a customized, unrivaled audio experience in every seat, and we have been delivering on this promise for many years. When flights are taken with only one or two passengers, we can transform the cabin from great stereo sound for all seats to personalized, immersive surround sound for the VIP seating. This new proprietary technology allows us to harness the power of every loudspeaker in the cabin and focus this sound on just one or two seats; this brings a whole new level of passenger-centric audio experience, and the listener is transported into a 3D acoustic space with no borders and perfect immersive sound. It is quite remarkable.
This proprietary seat-centric technology allows us full control over every speaker in the cabin in real-time and the ability to change the system based on what the passengers desire. Our proprietary tuning software and methods ensure that every use case for the individual aircraft will provide the passengers with the ultimate audio experience no matter how they are using the system.
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Pininfarina and AMAC has conceived a new interiors proposal for the Airbus Corporate Jets 350XWB.
Nobody cares for ugly, cumbersome, mechanical appendages all over their $60 million aircraft cabin. Thankfully one company has filled the gap, giving us all the necessary functionality but in graceful, aesthetically pleasing
reimagined designs. JCF takes a closer look at what Ingenio Aerospace is bringing to the table...for owners,
designers, centers and OEMs.
By: Melissa Tokoriyama / special contributor
INGENIO™ has only been around for a decade or so but in that time has made quite a footprint in interior jet cabins, both commercial and private. They have dedicated themselves to enhancing the in-flight experience for customers by designing, engineering and building products for use in cabins & cockpits - but not just products, products that meet and exceed all the functionalty required by passengers and cockpit crews, but with an unsurpassed level of visual appeal. They have removed the "eye sore" factor and in fact are winning awards.
The company is blending innovation, creativity and the latest technologies into the products they offer - delivering customers a unique balance of form, function and elegance. Their dedicated focus is on cutting edge, flexible and customized design with innovative engineering and manufacturing.
In their short history INGENIO™ has developed 71 products over just 6 years, for corporate, commercial, and military applications.
Based in Montreal, Canada, INGENIO™ since 2013, they boast an impressive list of customers including Bombardier (out their back dor), Collins Aerospace, Duncan Aviation, Embraer, Jetms, Sikorsky, Execujet, Comlux and Dassault Falcon, to name a few.
Marking their success in 2021 was a coveted RedDot award. Ingenio submitted two winning products to the Red Dot Design Awards: The Ingenio Cabin Tablet Arm and The Ingenio Table Tablet Holder. Both won acclaim from a panel of esteemed and impartial judges.
The Ingenio Table Tablet Holder was designed specifically for Embraer's Phenom 300 business jet. This smartphone and tablet holder allows passengers to transform their seat into an entertainment or work area. It is made of machined aluminium and attaches to retractable tables without damaging the surface. The holder can accommodate tablets and smartphones of any size, as they are simply inserted into the recess. It is stowed away with a protective cover in the side ledge compartments. The Red Dot Jury stated: “The tablet holder's construction is amazingly simple, and its minimalist design approach fits perfectly into Phenom 300 interiors.”
Ingenio president and CEO James Bell concludes: “We are proud to have been recognised by Red Dot, one of the world's most prestigious design awards. By celebrating innovation, integrity and aesthetics, Red Dot highlights the best designs across a multitude of disciplines. Always attentive to our clients' needs and preferences, from aircraft manufacturers to individual passengers, we enrich the in-flight experience by delivering products that facilitate access to electronic devices. Earning Red Dot Design Awards is a much-appreciated recognition of our team's vision and hard work.”
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Article by: Richard Roseman
The incredibly sumptuous world of...
Pillows Galore and More!
A Seamingly endless playground of Airborne Poofiness.
They’re crushed and squeezed. They’re fondled and flipped. They’re held and twirled, napped on and tossed about. They’re lovely and lively and patterned and poofy! They’re edge-stitched and gathered and seamed and notched. But most of all, they are the wonderful indispensable accoutrements to every aircraft cabin. We may take them for granted but think for a moment…what would a finished, delivered interior be without those casual, inviting, altogether glorious bits of feathered cushiness!?
Sōhe Studio is in the business of crafting high-end decorative pillows, throws and other custom softgoods for business jets, VVIP aircraft and SFC commercial interiors. If you travel in such circles, chances are you’ve probably already seen and felt their work. But according to the company’s founder and director, Ms. Katharine Leonard, their clients aren’t really advertised. “We kind of like to ride under the radar in that sense” she says. “I've sort of always been like, we work for some great companies, but we don't really want to be constantly touting who they are.” And although it was clear in my interview with Ms. Leonard, that they’re client roster includes some of the biggest OEMs, completion centers and designers in the world, she never actually named one – and I have to say, it was refreshing.
In fact, Sōhe Studio services many other aspects of cabin amenities including CCF (crystal, china & flatware), throws, carpets, linens and more. But under a similar mindset, Ms. Leonard also refrains from pegging her company as an ‘amenities’ firm. “It’s not that we don’t do much of what amenities groups do” she says. “We just kind of like to keep our own identity, Sohe – and let it stand for what it is, however our clients want to think of us.”
And that was my chance to ask where the name came from.
“Well, I wanted to tweak our name and have meaning to it, ya know?” Our bread and butter comes from things that we sew, like to stitch, right? But I didn't want a company simply called sew - that's kind of strange, so I thought well, let’s play with the concept of the word - something that says what we do, but in a unique way. So I used the ‘sew’ part of course but with an ‘e’ on the end, all residing in a sort of phonetic dictionary context – hence the brackets and the long O. But going beyond simply what we do,” she explains, “I wanted it to carry a deeper meaning. I’ve always thought about myself and our team as sewing good deeds – something truly near and dear to me on a personal level. So there you have it,” she says. “Sohe.”
There is a decidedly design-forward look about Sōhe Studio and the products they produce. Their pillows are a good example of that. The fabrics chosen, seem to ride a balance of sophisticated and playful, a mark designers often search for in softgoods. It prompted me to ask where her inspiration comes from.
“Well, I regularly attend the design shows in Paris, always a good starting point to stay on top of what’s out there.” she points out. “But you know, we also have a lot of great design partners in Europe and so between those two things, it gives us the ability to offer something that's a little bit different - still in the beautiful luxurious class of course but not what everybody else has.”
The more I spoke with Katharine Leonard, the more Katharine Leonard became the company she owns and presides over. She has an infectious light and happiness about her. Her laughter and humor made the interview fun, but it also gave me insight into her success. She is clearly a delight to work with, and her spirit just as clearly infused in the fabrics she selects and the final products her company delivers. And that prompted me to ask how she ever got here. Her answer is not what I expected!
“I came from the financial services industry,” she announced. “Specifically banking in New York and Chicago.”
“Whaaat? Are you serious?” I asked, literally thinking it was a joke. “How does that happen!?” She grinned explaining the ‘how’ part wasn’t nearly so important as the skillsets learned.
“So, when I moved to Texas and started a high-end workroom, mostly draperies for the residential market at the time, all that closely managed detailed and data from banking served as a solid footing for keeping up with complex jobs. My approach to running a workroom, apart from quality of course, was careful and concise documentation, right from the get-go. Let's make sure all our quotes are digital, let's be sure they have the ship to address, the project due date and on down the line. That way it all flows to our internal production schedule which then flows to the invoice and oh, by the way, we're going to turnkey that bad boy so you [our customers] don't have to order the fabric and have it sitting in a closet somewhere.”
We really spent a lot of time trying to make it easy for our customers, way back at the beginning. As a designer for example, we know you have a ton of things to keep up with and you don't want to be in a situation where at the last minute you're trying to deliver a plane and the pillows are wrong - the wrong size, the quality is weird or you're missing stuff. So, we're very neurotic,” she explains, “about delivering exquisitely beautiful product of course, but just as importantly, on time, complete down to every detail, and so on. So, in this respect, we’re really delivering two things, superlative quality and peace of mind.”
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Gulfstream's venerable G-650
In Celebration of a legacy
Op-ed by: Richard Roseman
The Gulfstream G-700 is amazeballs I'm sure. I mean I haven't yet placed my order for one...or for that matter even set foot in one but I did have the pleasure of designing two G-650s, both the ER variant. Now when I refer to designing the interiors, of course I mean within the bounds of what Gulfstream, God love 'em, will let you actually do, which ain't much. But it was a pleasure nonetheless and both projects came with cold soak flights and at least one other airborne adventure from my customer. And that my friends was the moment I fell in love! Oh sure, the G-550 was a Gulfstream and a sweet ride at that, but let's face it, any aircraft offering up a 6,700 nm range needs a wee bit more cabin width. And finally, in the late fall of 2009, those prayers were finally answered in the badass new G-650, And it was...badass I mean. It rocketed up to 51,000, sat there as stable as a Vulcan star cruiser, sipping fuel and barely whispering the sound of an AC duct. Today I'm gonna go off on my own little ditty about why the venerable G-650, even in the shadow of it's newer, bigger sister, is the ride for me and still the favorite of many owners.
Oh sure, the new G-700 has a ninth window down each side of the fuselage. But is longer always better? No, I say. I mean if the goal is becoming a cigar, then ok. But the 650 is that magical proportion for me, and many others.
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Gulfstream jets have a well earned pedigree to be sure but beyond the pedigree is a sense of design and facility that, let's face it, rides just slightly above the other OEMs in their class. They have the look, they have the coveted oval windows and they have a ramp presence that is unmistakable wherever they turn up.
As is the case with all beautifully designed aircraft, they are appealing from every angle - in flight or on the ground. But this side-on image, perhaps better than most, exemplifies just how beautiful the G-650 really is. She can neither be mistaken for a stretched out commercial commuter or a stubby short range bizjet. She is...in my eyes, perfect in all her proportions.
Add a stunning paint scheme as EVO Jets has here, and you have perhaps the most visually appealing Gulfstream of all time.
EVO Jets - jet charter / Gulfstream G-650
And speaking of turning up, we are never surprised to find the most interesting and accomplished people on earth, stepping out of one. It's more than fair to say, the Gulfstream G650 is popular among the popular. Gulfstream began producing the 650 in 2014 and to date, there have been 489 minted, (including both the 650 and the 650ER variants).
The G650 development program was launched in 2005, before being unveiled to the public three years later. At the time, it was launched as Gulfstream’s top-of-the-line business jet: the largest, fastest, and undoubtedly, most expensive. Capable of reaching speeds of up to Mach 0.925, the jet, and its later unveiled ER variant, hold titles for over 120 world speed records. The G-650 has a maximum range of 7,000 nautical miles (12,964 km), easily operating non-stop flights between economic hubs such as Dubai and New York. The sleek, almost minimalist interior, can be configured for 11 to 18 passengers and its PlaneView II cockpit features advanced technology that enhances safety and pilot situational awareness.
On September 26, 2009, the G650 taxied for the first time under its own power. Three days later, a public rollout ceremony was held and on November 25, 2009, the G650 served up its maiden flight.
Flown by pilots Jake Howard and Tom Horne, together with flight engineer Bill Osborne, the flight took off from Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport in Georgia. The flight lasted just 12 minutes as it had to be prematurely landed due to a slight vibration in a gear door. The flight reached a speed of 170 knots and an altitude of 6,600 feet (a far cry from its 51,000-foot ceiling).
Although the flight was too short for the crew to perform all their planned checks, it was nonetheless a significant milestone for the aircraft type. It took another three years of testing before the G650 was officially entered into service.
Two years later, Gulfstream announced that it had developed the G650ER, an extended-range version of the original G650. The latter offers an additional range of 500 nautical miles (926 km) and holds the record for the farthest, fastest flight in the history of business aviation. The non-stop flight from Singapore to Tucson, Arizona, took just 15 hours and 23 minutes.
In late September 2019, Gulfstream Aerospace made a big announcement: its flagship G650 was to be succeeded by the larger and faster G700. If that wasn’t big enough news, the manufacturer unveiled the G800 just two years later. While smaller than the former, the G800 is today regarded as the world’s longest-range business aircraft, with a maximum range of 8,000 nautical miles (14,816 km).
Despite new additions to the Gulfstream fleet, the G650 continues to be the most popular choice. In September 2022, the 500th unit of the Gulfstream G650 family was delivered – a long way since its first flight over a decade prior.
The world is a place of personal preference, now more than ever. And so that's why this piece rides under the Op-Ed banner. My preference for the G-650 over other Gulfstream variants - and in fact ALL other business jets is merely my preference. But it's not mine alone. A preponderance of customers all over the private aircraft ownership world, and governments alike, have and continue to opt for the G-650.
For more information on the Gulfstream G-650 and 650ER, visit: gulfstream.com
As our old cinematic pal, Steven Spielberg likes vo
say. . . it's a shweeeet ride!
Op-ed JetCabin Freshbook Magazine / January 2023
See the full Press Release here.
Bentley Bacalar
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JCF Magazine celebrates the Global 7000 & 8000 this month, remarkable achievements by any measurement. Watch the video and note that on top of it all, you can breathe easier with Bombardier's Pũr Air and its advanced HEPA filter technology, arrive rested and refreshed with the Soleil circadian lighting system, experience the comfort of the industry’s lowest cabin altitude, and enjoy reduced lower back pressure with the Nuage seat and zero-gravity position.
