After first rejecting an idea to develop theGrumman Widgeon as an executive transport, the company studied producing an executive transport based on a turbine-powered variant of the naval utility transportGrumman TF-1 Trader. The company had already determined that any new aircraft would have to beturboprop-powered and theRolls-Royce Dart engine was chosen. Further studies showed that the Trader-based design would not sell and they needed an all-new design with a low-wing and room to stand up in the cabin. In June 1957 the design of G-159 was finalised and Grumman started selling slots on the production line at $10,000 each. The initial customers worked with Grumman on the detailed design and avionics fit. The G-159 was given the nameGulfstream and on 14 August 1958 the first aircraft, registeredN701G, took off fromBethpage, New York on its maiden flight. By 2 May 1959 the aircraft was awarded atype certificate by theFederal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The Gulfstream I is a low-wing cantilever monoplane with a semi-monocoque aluminium alloy fuselage structure. The aircraft is powered by two Rolls-Royce Dart turboprops withRotol four-bladed constant speed propellers. The Gulfstream I has a retractable tricycle landing gear, with twin wheels on the two main units and the nose gear. The cabin is designed to take up to twenty-four passengers in a high-density arrangement or only eight in an executive layout, although ten to twelve was more usual. The aircraft has a hydraulically operated airstair in the forward cabin for entry and exit.
A single Gulfstream I was delivered to theUnited States Coast Guard (USCG) in 1963, outfitted as an executive transport and designated theVC-4A. Around this time, theUnited States Navy (USN) proposed to purchase the Gulfstream I as a navigationtrainer and a multirole trainer/transport, designating the new variants as theT-41A andTC-4B respectively; however, the purchase was deferred. The USN finally purchased nine navigation trainers in 1966 as theTC-4C Academe; these were used to train bombardier/navigators for theA-6 Intruder.[3] The USCG VC-4A was transferred to the Aircraft Repair and Supply Center (ARSC) atCoast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City in 1983, and was later used as a logistics and long-range command and control aircraft until 2001; it was scrapped in 2002. Another Gulfstream I was transferred to the USCG fromNASA in 2001 as a replacement; this second VC-4A was returned to NASA in 2004.[4][5]
A 37-passenger stretched version, the G-159C, was developed byGulfstream for regional airline use. Five were delivered from November 1980.[6] Air North (based in Plattsburgh NY and which subsequently changed its name toBrockway Air) was one of the few airlines in the U.S. to use this version before itsacquisition byBrockway Glass. Another Gulfstream I-C airline operator was Chaparral Airlines which flew passenger services asAmerican Eagle via a codesharing agreement withAmerican Airlines.Royale Airlines also operated the G-I in scheduled passenger service in the U.S. operating asContinental Connection on behalf ofContinental Airlines; however, its aircraft were standard length G-159 models and thus were not the stretched version. Several other airlines in the U.S. as well. Air carriers in Africa, Canada, Europe and the Mideast also operated standard Gulfstream Is in scheduled passenger service, including Peregrine Air Services in the U.K., which operated airline flights forBritish Airways.
Twin-engined executive, corporate transport aircraft with accommodation for up to 14 passengers, powered by two 2,210-shp (1648-kW)Rolls-Royce Dart RDa.7/2 Mk 529-8X turboprop engines. 200 built.
G-159C Gulfstream I-C
Stretched regional airline version. Five G-I aircraft were converted into Gulfstream I-Cs, by having the fuselage lengthened by 10 ft 8 in (3.25 m) to provide seating for up to 37 passengers.
T-41A
Pre-production US Navy designation for navigation trainer variant. Redesignated TC-4C.[3][a]
VC-4A
VIP transport version for the US Coast Guard. One built, one transferred from NASA.[3][5]
TC-4B
Pre-production US Navy designation for trainer/transport variant. Purchase canceled.[3]
TC-4C Academe
TC-4C aircraft used by VA-42 at Davis-Monthan in 2018
Trainer for US Navy and Marine CorpsA-6 Intruder bombardier/navigators, nine ordered in 1966,[3] first flown in 1967. Aircraft were fitted with an A-6 nose radome, a simulated A-6 cockpit and four bombardier/navigator consoles.[citation needed] The aircraft used by VA-42 was last seen in 2018 at theDavis-Monthan Air Force Base, 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG). The "Green Pawn" emblem is still visible on the tail.[citation needed][needs update]
Most of the 200 Gulfstream I propjets were operated by corporate customers, with a smaller number operated by regional or commuter airlines as well as by government agencies and the military.NASA, the U.S. space agency, flew the Gulfstream I as a passenger transport aircraft and operated seven G-Is. Throughout the 1970s and mid-80s theFord Motor Company operated a G-1 for their executives in Brazil. TheWalt Disney Company operated Gulfstream S.N. 121 with the factory assigned tail number N732G from December of 1963 to October 4, 1967, when it was changed to N234MM.
Air North - Former scheduled passenger airline operator of the stretched, 37-passenger Gulfstream I-C. Air North, which operated in the northeast U.S., subsequently changed its name toBrockway Air.
Air US - Former scheduled passenger airline operator flying several commuter routes fromDenverStapleton International Airport (DEN). Fleet included stretched, 37-passenger Gulfstream I-C aircraft.
NASA - Former operator with seven G-I aircraft being used to transport NASA and space program contractor personnel between the civilian space agency's various centers and facilities in the U.S.
United States Army - TheUnited States Army Corps of Engineers operated a single Gulfstream I (with a civilian colour scheme and registration) between 1961 and 1981. The US Army also later received at least one Gulfstream I that had been confiscated from drug dealers.[13]
^abcdeSwanborough, Gordon; Bowers, Peter M. (1976).United States Navy Aircraft since 1911 (2nd ed.). Annapolis, Maryland: Naval Institute Press. p. 439.ISBN0-87021-968-5.
Democratic Republic of Congo
