Taylor Rains/Insider
- The Gulfstream G650ER is one of the world’s fastest and longest-range business aircraft.
- Billionaires like Elon Musk own the jet, which was tracked by 19-year-old Jack Sweeney on Twitter earlier this year.
- I toured the plane at the Farnborough International Airshow in England to see if it’s worth the price tag.
Launched in 2014, the Gulfstream G650ER is one of the world’s fastest and largest business aircraft, drawing in billionaire customers like Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos.
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Source: Gulfstream
The ultra-long-haul flagship jet is equipped with two Rolls-Royce BR725 engines, which power its incredible 7,500-nautical-mile range and 0.925 Mach speed.
Taylor Rains/Insider
Source: Gulfstream
The range is 500 nautical miles longer than the jet’s predecessor — the Gulfstream G650.
Gulfstream
Source: Gulfstream
The range and speed helped Gulfstream and Qatar Airways, which operates G650ER jets, break a world record for the fastest “round-the-world” flight in 2019, flying the aircraft pole-to-pole in less than 47 hours.
Source: One More Orbit
The same year, the G650ER flew another record-setting flight when it journeyed between Singapore and Tucson, Arizona, covering 8,379 nautical miles (9,600 miles) nonstop. The achievements are just two of the jet’s 120+ world speed records.
Taylor Rains/Insider
Source: Gulfstream
Celebrities like Musk and Bezos, as well as Bill Gates, have proven the jet’s capabilities, with Musk flying over 150,000 miles in 2018 alone. A bulk of his flights were around California, but he also flew overseas to places like Ireland and Israel.
Source: The Washington Post
Jack Sweeney, a 19-year-old University of Central Florida student, popularized Musk’s G650ER earlier this year when he publicized the whereabouts of the jet on Twitter.
Source: Twitter , Elon Musk offered a 19-year-old $5,000 to take down a Twitter account that tracks his private jet, report says
While the G50ER is considered one of the most trusted jets in the world for its speed and range, Canadian rival Bombardier is pushing the envelope further with its new Global 8000 aircraft.
Bombardier
Source: Bombardier
Despite the competition, Gulfstream’s G650ER is one of the world’s best-selling business planes, having had a multi-year waiting list at the time of its initial launch.
Taylor Rains/Insider
Source: Bloomberg
I toured the jet at the Farnborough International Airshow 2022 in July to see how the rich travel — take a look inside.
Taylor Rains/Insider
The G650ER has a plush, luxury interior that features four living spaces and can be completely customized by the owner.
Taylor Rains/Insider
The cabin, which can carry up to 18 passengers and sleep up to seven, is designed to be the quietest in business aviation, ensuring travelers have a peaceful ride.
Taylor Rains/Insider
The 47-foot cabin includes a galley, where flight attendants prepare food and drinks…
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…a meeting room…
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…a dining room…
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…a storage room…
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…and a bedroom.
Taylor Rains/Insider
When not a bedroom, the space doubles as a conference room with a couch instead of a bed.
Taylor Rains/Insider
There were also two lavatories onboard, one in the front closest to the galley and the cockpit…
Taylor Rains/Insider
…and one in the back behind the bedroom.
Taylor Rains/Insider