Flight Path

From concept to delivery, getting a new business jet off the ground is an extraordinary lift.

- Michael Verdon

DEVELOPING A NEW business jet takes years - up to 16 in the case of the recently unveiled (though not yet customer-ready) Gulfstream G400, and only if everything goes smoothly from here on out. Part of that has to do with timing and market positioning - the G400's larger G500 and G600 siblings, with which the latest plane shares roughly 80 per cent common parts, were also conceived in 2009 but certified and delivered in 2018 and 2019, respectively - but it's a hell of a long runway, regardless. If you've never considered what goes into creating the best and brightest new business jet, here's the timeline for a much-awaited upcoming model.

2009 Concept

Gulfstream begins planning a new aircraft family by first assessing what the market needs, then polling its clients about the best way to achieve it. In 2009 it was clear there was a gap in smaller large-cabin jets that still offered transcontinental range and decent speed, and so that’s what the G400 was designed to deliver, with a 4,200-nautical mile range, a wide cabin that has the same cross-section width as the G500 and G600 and the same cruise speed of Mach 0.85. Other amenities, such as its two and a half living zones, large galley, ergonomic seating and low-altitude pressurization are the result of those extensive customer conversations.

“We designed the G400 for a market that was underserved,” says Mark Burns, president of Gulfstream Aerospace. “There really hadn’t been a new design in that category for 20 years.”