eBusiness Weekly
It’s no secret that Musk is a big fan of Gulfstream jets — he owns three of them.
In addition to the G650ER he acquired in 2016, the Tesla billionaire also owns two G550 planes, FAA records show. Musk also owns a Dassault 900B, the first jet he ever purchased.
Musk’s first G550 jet was registered to Falcon Landing LLC in August 2020, a shell company with ties to Space X, aircraft registration records show. In September 2021, he bought another jet, which was also registered to the shell company.
Musk’s jets are under the registration numbers N272BG and N502SX, according to the FAA registry. The jets were previously registered to Contrail Aviation LLC and Wells Fargo Bank, indicating that Musk purchased the planes pre-owned.
Gulfstream started manufacturing the G550 in the early 2000s. The US aviation company no longer makes the G550, a company spokesperson told Insider.
In an interview with Chris Anderson at the TED Conference in April, Musk said he lives a frugal lifestyle but makes an “exception” for his fleet of private jets.
“I mean, the one exception is the plane, but if I don’t use the plane, then I have less hours to work,” Musk said.
Musk and Tesla did not immediately reply to Insider’s requests for comment.
The G550 was once Gulfstream’s most successful model. It was last manufactured in 2021 and has a fleet size of 611, according to Guardian Jet. The plane is outfitted with two Rolls-Royce BF710-C4-11 engines.
A new jet costs US$62 million and retails from US$14 million if bought pre-owned.
And the costs don’t end there: It costs US$4,2 million to operate the jet for 300 hours a year, per Guardian Jet.
The plane has a range of 12 500km and a maximum cruising speed of 488 knots, which means it can fly non-stop from Tokyo to Palm Beach, Florida, in 12.5 hours, Business Jet Traveler reported.
The plane’s interior is fully customizable, according to Legacy Aviation Group.
A virtual tour of the plane shows four individual seats in the forward cabin. Each of the seats has a storage area and a control panel. Stowed on the side of the plane are foldable wooden tables.
The mid-cabin has a “club-four”-style dining area with an extendable table and two pairs of seats facing each other. The plane has 14 windows.
Retrofitted G550 jets are equipped with Gulfstream’s Cabin Management System (GCMS), a system that allows passengers to control lighting, temperature, speakers, and window shades using a touchscreen, according to Business Jet Traveller.
The rear cabin can be designed with one or two divan sofas that can be converted into a bed.
The lavatory and baggage area are located at the tail end of the plane, the tour shows. — BusinessInsider.
