Gulfstream G280

Although technically, the G280 is not a clean-sheet airplane, for all intents and purposes, it might as well be. It retains the fuselage cross-section of the Galaxy, but not much else. The interior cabin itself is longer by 17 inches; there are two additional windows per side, and the tail, you might notice, is the traditional Gulfstream T-tail, replacing the somewhat dated-looking cruciform tail on the Galaxy. The result is an airplane that looks for the first time very much like a Gulfstream instead of the adopted model, the G200 is.

Although the G280 traces its heritage to North American Rockwell, Galaxy Aerospace, and Israel Aerospace Industries (which manufactures the airframe), the super-midsize jet is all Gulfstream, from the design of the wing to the elegantly equipped cabin and the outstanding performance that pilots have come to expect from the Savannah, Georgia, manufacturer. Ultimately, the G280 doesn’t share much with the G200/Galaxy except the size and shape of the fuselage. The engines, wing, empennage, avionics, and systems are all new and improved, and thus the G280 required its own new type certificate.

Performance-wise, the G280 is a far cry from the original Galaxy, which had a large cabin sitting on a smallish wing and 6,000 pounds static thrust per side. The G280 has the new wing and 7,624 lbst per engine, enabling it to use as much as 2,000 feet less runway for takeoff.