August Marked Golden Anniversary Of G-I First Flight

Fifty years ago last month, Grumman Aerospace test pilots Carl Alber and Fred Rowley took the first Gulfstream I twin-engine turboprop on its maiden flight, marking the birth of what is today a flourishing market for business aviation aircraft.

The GI, with Alber and Rowley at the controls and fellow Grumman pilot Bob Smyth following behind in an F8F Bearcat, flew over Grumman's then-headquarters in Bethpage, NY on August 14, 1958.

Following that flight, the GI underwent about 800 hours of additional testing and received Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certification on May 21, 1959.  Soon after, Grumman delivered the first GI to Sinclair Oil.

While the GI was designed specifically for business travel, it also saw service with five US government agencies and all branches of the armed forces. When Grumman was selected by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) to produce the Lunar Module, a GI was outfitted with a cargo door to help transport some of the assemblies. The FAA acquired its first GI in June 1959.

Production of the GI ended 10 years later, when Grumman delivered the 200th aircraft in 1969. Approximately one-third of the 200 GI aircraft Grumman built are still flying today. They are registered in some 15 countries, including the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, France, Indonesia, Turkey, Panama and South Africa.

Billed by Gulfstream as the first aircraft designed specifically for business travel (earlier planes were often derived from post-WWII military transports; even the clean-sheet Howard 500 shared its DNA with Lockheed Venturas and Lodestars -- Ed.) the GI accommodated 12 passengers, with a maximum speed of 350 mph at 35,000 feet. Powered by two Rolls-Royce Dart engines, the aircraft had a range of 2,500 miles.

Customer input played an important role in the aircraft’s design, prompting Grumman to build a low-wing platform instead of retaining the high-wing design of the company’s previous aircraft. Customers also wanted ample visibility, which led Grumman to develop the large, 26-inch-wide oval window that has become the Gulfstream trademark.

The GI laid the foundation for the future family of Gulfstream aircraft. Today, Gulfstream Aerospace, the company that evolved out of Grumman Aerospace and is now a wholly owned subsidiary of General Dynamics, has manufactured more than 1,800 aircraft and offers seven business jets at various prices and performance points: the G650, G550, G500, G450, G350, G200 and G150.

"The creation of the GI would not have been possible 50 years ago without the dedicated and innovative people working at Grumman Aerospace," said Joe Lombardo, president, Gulfstream. "Fifty years later, our employees still make the difference in manufacturing the safest, most reliable and most technologically advanced business jets in the world."

FMI: www.gulfstream.com