I'm shopping for a new plane. I know I'll get suggestions to just buy a Falcon 2000 or Challenger 300; I already have tons of good info on those. I don't have a good source for G200, which is a contender, because used price and direct operating costs are lower than the other two. I've explained the airplane's limitations to my boss, but I need an education on real world dispatch reliability, the airplane's maintenance schedule, and typical costs of the inspections.

I appreciate any good information anyone can give me, including suggestions to buy a 2000 or a 300; that would be my choice, but comparable G200s are going 3 or 4 million less, and it's not my money.

 

I am assuming you are talking used aircraft by the numbers presented. You would be hard pressed finding a low time 300 anywhere these days. What type of time on frame are you looking at? Budget? Typical legs?

 

Yes, used airplanes. The bottom of the 300 market is around 10 million. The G200 and stright 2000 are going under that. I know least about the G200. I need to learn about the maintenence schedule and its reliability.

 

We have operated G200's for almost 10 years and they are quite reliable. What amazes me is the cabin size and baggage compartment. The fuel burn is impressive for such a large cabin.

One that we operated is for sale on Guardian Jet's site. Take a look at it.

 

Anyone know the logic behind the boot as opposed to the hot wing? Seems odd that a plane this size has a boot. My guess is that it has relatively small engines compared to the size/weight/cabin volume. Perhaps not enough bleed air to keep the cabin pressurize while taking bleed air out to the wings while maintaining cabin pressure? Just guessing here.

I've been in the cockpit of the G200 and I must say it is quite roomy and a clean cockpit design.

I've been flying the Falcon 50EX for some time and am extremely impressed by Dassault. Maintenance costs are relatively high on the 50, but it sure is a great airplane.

 

Reasonable guess, but not the case. The issue is that the wing of the G200 is famously lifted straight off of the IAI Astra (a plane about 2/3rds the size), with the addition of Krueger flaps being the only real concession to the new design and its massively increased wing loading. It's weird to see boots on a plane the size of the G200, but less so on a 25,000 pounder like the Astra. Operating the boots is actually quite bleed-intensive; you need 65% N1 to keep them cycling, or you get an anti-ice failure message. As you might imagine, this makes descending into icing conditions an incredible pain sometimes.

Astra had boots, so the G200 has boots. One of about a thousand design oddities that Gulfstream addressed with the G280.

I'm not dialed into the logistical side of our aircraft's upkeep well enough to speak with authority on the maintenance schedules and costs, but I would advise you make sure your newly acquired G200 has been very thoroughly checked for corrosion, and that every last one of the oddball ADs have been complied with. Those are common gotchas on this fleet.