As early as 1947 the Grumman Company was working on designs for a twin-engine executive transport aircraft. The concept went through several stages including conversions of existing Grumman designs and all new jet powered concepts. By 1956 they had settled on a turboprop design as the best compromise between speed and affordability. Interest in the aircraft was extremely high and a series of preorders and deposits convinced Grumman to go ahead. The aircraft that emerged on August 14, 1958 could carry up to 24 passengers over 2,000 miles at speeds in excess of 300 miles an hour. A total of 200 Gulfstream I aircraft were built between 1958 and 1969 with the vast majority going into service as corporate transports. A very few were used as airliners, but they quickly proved to be uneconomical in that role. The U.S. Navy purchased nine aircraft for training A-6 Intruder navigators while the Coast Guard purchased one aircraft as a transport. In 1963, NASA purchased five Gulfstreams for both experimental and transport use.
Wingspan
78 ft 4 in.
Length
63 ft 9 in.
Height
22 ft 9 in.
Weight
31,000 lbs (loaded)
Maximum Speed
357 MPH
Service Ceiling
36,900 ft
Range
2,500 miles
Engines
Two Rolls-Royce Dart 529-8 turboprops with 2,210 horsepower each
Crew
2 with 15 passengers
Manufacturer Grumman
Markings National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Johnson Space Center, Houston, Texas, 2002
Designation G-159
Registration N4N4
Serial Number 151
Pima Air & Space Museum
Creating unlimited horizons in aerospace education through the preservation and presentation of the history of flight.