A Class Apart

The G550 is undoubtedly a great aircraft to fly. It has all the technology that modern aviation has to offer. And to depart on time and arrive safely at the destination is what this aircraft is all about.

Designed and produced by global aerospace majors, business jets are marketed by savvy executives and purchased by the affluent who are generally more interested in the luxury features of the aircraft. The number of wine bottles the chiller tray can hold normally carries more weightage than whether the aircraft can reach the destination safely. A prospective client, who devotes full attention to the cabin, might not even take a cursory look at the cockpit. Consequently, the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) tend to focus as much on cabin comfort as on cockpit efficiency. The sales pitch is invariably on issues of luxury and flamboyance and rarely on the performance parameters. Not surprising, as moneybags are not supposed to be savoir faire with technology and pilots rarely own corporate jets. Even the reviews are written by industry-friendly journalists masquerading as experts. The buyer fails to get value for money and rarely, if ever, does he consult his pilots before selecting a business jet. The irony is that senior corporate executives have a greater say in the choice of an aircraft; the tech-savvy pilot incidentally learns about the acquisition only after its arrival.

Recently, a major corporate house decided to add a Beechcraft B200 to its fleet. It was not surprising that the proposal got overwhelming support. However, what was the cause for concern is the fact that the choice of aircraft was based on the fact that a few decades ago, the founding patriarch of the company had a similar machine capable of short-field operations. Would a decision taken then be valid today—in an age when jets rule the sky? The focus apparently was only on short-field operations and not on other critical requirements such as range, endurance and not to mention the limited avionics on the B200.

The choice of an aircraft should be based on its dispatch reliability, safety, as well as its capability to fly passengers to their destination comfortably and on time. One such reliable aircraft is the Gulfstream G550. Since September 17, 2003, when the G550 entered service, over 300 of them have been delivered. This is no mean achievement. Amongst its salient features are its 12,500 km range, ceiling of 51,000 feet and a cruising mach of 0.85. All impressive, but then in these areas, the buyer has a wide choice and a ceiling of 51,000 feet is of no special significance. Range, a critical factor in the choice of aircraft, indicates that the G550 is basically US and Eurocentric. However, operating from India, the range the G550 offers, is adequate for European destinations, but trifle short for American shores. What then sets the G550 apart?

Dispatch Reliability

The manufacturer claims dispatch reliability of over 99.1 per cent. While this may appear incredible, the experience of operators and pilots suggest that the figure is fairly realistic. To depart on time and arrive safely at the destination is what this aircraft is all about. A gap in this performance could mean a difference of a few million dollars in the balance sheet of the owner. Hence, this is one of the prime areas where the G550 scores over its rivals. Not that the G550 is without problems. As with all other machines, it has its own set of issues, but most get resolved and those that remain unresolved, do not impact the on-time performance. What more can an owner ask for?

Spares Support

Spares support and dispatch reliability of the Gulfstream is universally known. Among all the corporate aircraft in use, perhaps the G550 enjoys the best spares and maintenance support. The company has a dedicated G100 to deliver spares ‘on-site’. Although India is not currently regarded as a great destination for business aviation, the situation is improving. However, for India to figure on the global business aviation map, it may take at least a decade, if not more. This inhibits the development of spares support base in the country. Under these circumstances, the back-up provided by Gulfstream and the interactions with its maintenance personnel is an experience worth mentioning.

Captain Vasileios Tsimis, a veteran Greek pilot and an examiner with CAE, Dubai, has 14,000 hours of flying accumulated over 37 years, most of it in business aviation. He has the distinction of having flown the first G-V, the predecessor to the G550. Currently based in India, Vasileios says that he has yet to cancel/delay a departure due to maintenance issues. Creditable indeed!

‘Client servicing’ is an initiative unique to Gulfstream with which it scores over its rivals. The Breakfast Minutes, published by Gulfstream, is a medium through which the OEM updates the clients with latest information. This publication, which details problems plaguing the fleet and solutions, is informative and inspiring to the pilots and engineers in the field.