Aircraft Maintenance Technology

APR 2014

The aircraft maintenance professional's source for technological advancements, maintenance alerts, news, articles, events, and careers

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B U S I N E S S A V I A T I O N 16 April 2014 AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY T his year AMT magazine cel- ebrates 25 years of publication so we're ref lecting on the past and acknowledging entities that withstood the test of time and excelled. There are certain people, events, innovations, and companies that become icons in their category. Some examples for me are Snap-on ratchets, Boeing 747s, and Gulfstream business aircraft. W hen reviewing Gulfstream's chro- nology, the challenge is deciding what to mention: which award-winning, record- setting aircraft models to highlight or which manufacturing enhancement to discuss. Innovation and expansion have definitely driven Gulfstream's exception- al success during the last 25 years. In the beginning Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. stepped on the road to success in the late 1950s when Grumman Aircraft Engineering Co. developed the first aircraft specifi- cally designed for business travel — the Gulfstream I (GI). It held 12 passengers, had a service ceiling of 25,000 feet, a range of 2,200 miles, and could f ly 350 mph. Corporate pilots and executives loved this comfortable and reliable turbo prop. Its next strategic steps were moving civilian aircraft production to Savannah, GA, and building the jet- powered Gulfstream II (GII). The last 25 years We interviewed Barry Russell, vice presi- dent of Gulfstream Product Support's East Coast Operations, to discuss some of the changes and innovations he has obser ved in his 30-plus years with Gulfstream. We pick up the last 25 years in 1989 when Allen Paulson teamed up with Forstmann, Little & Co. and bought Gulfstream back from Chrysler and the GIV, the first business jet with an all- glass cockpit, had been delivered. Gulfstream Becomes an Icon What's driving growth? Simply put — demand for large-cabin aircraft and for the G650 in particular. By Charles Chandler AMT_16-23_CSBizAviation.indd 16 4/3/14 2:05 PM

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