AINonline.com

“Gulfstream has no intention to relinquish control of the market we created with the G650/G650ER,” Gulfstream president and CEO Mark Burns said Wednesday at the Corporate Jet Investor Miami conference in reference to the Bombardier Global 7500’s imminent service entry. While he implied that Gulfstream Aerospace will respond with a new top-of-the-market aircraft, he declined to elaborate further at this time.

Asked about Gulfstream’s interest in developing a supersonic business jet, he pointed out several technological and regulatory issues that continue to be barriers. Burns responded more generically to a question on whether Gulfstream is entertaining a vertical takeoff and landing/urban aircraft, saying the company “continues to look at many things.”

Meanwhile, he addressed future workforce issues, highlighting Gulfstream’s active fronts on promoting STEM education in elementary through high schools; its Starbase program, which offers week-long STEM camps for fifth-grade students; job shadow days; youth apprentice programs; and promotion of the industry in general. On the latter, he concluded, “Business aviation has created the global commerce we see today. You can’t rely on an airline flight to get you to Accra [Ghana].”