Simply Abu Dhabi XXXV

5 7 S I M P LY A B U DH A B I Gulfstream|II A Tradition of Firsts As the manufacturer of the world’s first purpose-built business aircraft, Gulfstream was a company of firsts at its inception, and that tradition has continued. The Gulfstream GII was the first business jet to fly nonstop to Europe, which it did in May 1968. Gulfstream’s in-house expertise made this leap possible – design efforts began in 1960 with engineers striving to create a jet-powered Gulfstream, an advancement over the Gulfstream I turbo-prop engines mounted on low wings, and one that would add more capabilities for customers. For the GII, the jet engines were mounted on the rear of the fuselage and the tail modified in a T configuration. The wings were swept back to increase range and altitude. As a result, the aircraft flew up to Mach 0.88 at 45,000 feet/13,761 meters with a range of 2,640 nm/4,889 km while accommodating up to 19 passengers. The need for this range and speed was clear: More than 250 GIIs were sold during the aircraft’s production run, including two variants, one with wing-tip tanks to increase range and the other with a newwing and winglets to enhance performance. To be the best of what you do means never resting on your laurels. Gulfstream has taken that to heart and cultivated a culture of continuous improvement. Beyond its initial industry firsts, Gulfstream has amassed quite a few – the