How Many Private Jets Does Bill Gates Own?

Bill Gates is currently one of the wealthiest businessmen and entrepreneurs in the world. He is best known as the co-founder of Microsoft, one of the largest software companies in the world. Gates was born on October 28, 1955, in Seattle, Washington. He was raised near Seattle and attended Lakeside School, a private institution. This is also where he met his good friend Paul Allen, who would later become a co-founder of Microsoft with Gates.

After graduating from Lakeside School, Gates went off to Harvard University, one of the most prestigious colleges in the world, in 1973. However, after two years of attending classes at Harvard, Gates dropped out to pursue a new venture. Gates and Allen moved to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where the two co-founded the company that would later become Microsoft.

The company began as an interpreter software provider for early microcompeters. In the late 1970s, the company moved to Bellevue, Washington. Gates and company secured a contract with IBM, the leading supplier of computer equipment at the time, in the early 1980s. This brought the company to a new level of prestige, and Microsoft began to gain steam in the technology world.

Microsoft eventually launched the first version of Windows, an operating system, in 1985. This operating system would become the most dominant in the software market for years to come. In the early days of Microsoft, Gates was extremely involved in the coding and programming side of the company. However, as the company continued to grow, Gates transitioned to an executive role.

Gates was the head of the company for nearly thirty years. He helped the company grow into one of the biggest software providers in the world, and a dominating force in the technological market. He officially began to transition away from his executive role in 2006, and he officially stepped down as the Chairman of Microsoft in February 2014.

Even so, Gates still accumulated a net worth of over $100 billion, mostly due to his holdings of Microsoft stock as the company grew into dominance. Gates was also heavily involved in several other business ventures, and he maintains a strong role in his philanthropy ventures as well.

Photo: Gulfstream

Because of Gates’s extreme net worth, it is no wonder that he owns and operates several business jets. These aircraft allow Gates to travel with the ultimate luxury. These private jets also help Gates continue his business ventures around the world, as they provide Gates with the ultimate luxury while traveling. Let’s take a closer look at two of the private jets owned and operated by Gates. Let’s also take a look at why these aircraft have become so popular for business executives and other celebrities over the years.

The first Bill Gates-owned Gulfstream

Currently, Bill Gates flies on two Gulfstream G650s. According to Celebrity Private Jet Tracker, the first aircraft is a Gulfstream G650ER that is registered as N887WM. According to FlightAware, this aircraft was first produced by Gulfstream in 2018 and has a serial number of 6357. It has a registered owner of Mente LLC, a Seattle, Washington-based company.

Photo: Gulfstream

This aircraft is flown frequently by Gates and his team. According to Celebrity Private Jet Tracker, this aircraft operates many of its flights from Boeing Field-King County International Airport (BFI) in Seattle, Washington, which is near to Gates’s main residence. Gates flies this aircraft on many domestic flights. According to Celebrity Private Jet Tracker, some of the destinations that Gates has flown to recently include:

• Ronald Reagan Washington International Airport (DCA) in Washington D.C.
• Palm Springs International Airport (PSP) in Palm Springs, California
• Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport (TRM) in Coachella Valley, California
• San Francisco International Airport (SFO) in San Francisco, California
• Teterboro Airport (TEB) in Bergen County, New Jersey

Additionally, the Gulfstream G650ER has an impressive range of 7,500 nautical miles (8,600 miles). Because of this, Gates is able to fly this aircraft on international flights, as it can reach all of South America, Europe, and much of the Middle East from the US. According to Celebrity Private Jet Tracker, some of the international destinations that this aircraft has flown to recently include:

• Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL) in Delhi, India
• Kansai International Airport (KIX) in Osaka, Japan
• Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (BOM) in Mumbai, India
• Zurich Airport (ZRH) in Zurich, Switzerland
• Frankfurt International Airport (FRA) in Frankfurt, Germany

The second Bill Gates-owned Gulfstream

The second aircraft that Gates owns and operates is also a Gulfstream G650ER. According to Celebrity Private Jet Tracker, this aircraft has a registration of N194WM. According to FlightAware, this aircraft was also produced in 2018 and has a serial number of 6321. The registered owner of this private jet is TVPX Aircraft Solutions, a trust-company based in North Salt Lake, Utah.

Photo: Gulfstream

This aircraft is flown by Gates slightly less than his other Gulfstream G650ER. However, this aircraft is still operated mostly from Boeing Field-King County International Airport (BFI) in Seattle, Washington, like his other Gulfstream jet. According to Celebrity Private Jet Tracker, some of the unique destinations this aircraft has flown to recently include:

• Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN) in Bozeman, Montana
• Jacqueline Cochran Regional Airport (TRM) in Coachella Valley, California
• Palm Beach International Airport (PBI) in West Palm Beach, Florida
• Teterboro Airport (TEB) in Bergen County, New Jersey
• Lanai Airport (LNY) in Lanai, Hawaii

Like the other Gates-owned private jet, he has also flown this aircraft to many international destinations. This aircraft can easily reach many international destinations due to its ultra-long-range capabilities. According to Celebrity Private Jet Tracker, some of these destinations include:

• Vancouver International Airport (YVR) in Vancouver, Canada
• Malpensa Airport (MXP) in Milano, Airport
• Rodríguez Ballón International Airport (AQP) in Arequipa, Peru
• Barcelona International Airport (BCN) in Barcelona, Spain
• Paris-Le Bourget Airport (LBG) in Paris, France

A brief history of the Gulfstream G650 series

The Gulfstream G650 family is one of Gulfstream’s premium ultra-long-range business jet offerings. It was the largest, fastest, and furthest-flying aircraft that Gulfstream produced until the Gulfstream G700 was certified early last year. It is also the first clean-sheet aircraft designed and developed by Gulfstream since its early production days.

Photo: Ryan Fletcher I Shutterstock

The program was officially launched by the Savannah, Georgia-based company in early 2005. However, it was not publicly unveiled until March 2008. The first prototype conducted its maiden flight in November 2009. During the flight testing process, a Gulfstream G650 prototype reached a maximum speed of Mach 0.995 (660 miles per hour) during a dive. The aircraft was certified by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in September 2012, and deliveries of the Gulfstream G650 began the same year.

In early 2014, Gulfstream officially announced an upgraded variant to the G650 known as the G650ER. This aircraft had a further range due to a large increase in fuel capacity. This aircraft was type certified in October 2014, and it was introduced later that year.

Notable design features and performance specifications of the Gulfstream G650

As previously mentioned, when the Gulfstream G650 was released, it was the largest, fastest, and furthest-flying aircraft that Gulfstream had produced. Gulfstream incorporated a larger fuselage cross-section than previous variants, which was more oval-shaped than the circular cross-section. This aircraft had the following cabin measurements:

• Cabin length: 46 feet ten inches
• Cabin height: six feet three inches
• Cabin width: eight feet two inches

This aircraft could fit a maximum of 13 passengers. However, the standard configuration could fit approximately ten passengers and sleep six passengers. This large cabin is typically split into three interior zones. These are completely customizable, although many customers opt for the forward galley with a dedicated crew compartment, executive club seating, or a living area with a couch. The interior cabin also features sixteen of the popular Gulfstream-designed panoramic oval windows.

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Extreme Luxury: A Look At The Gulfstream G650ER

The Gulfstream G650ER is a luxury jet that has changed private air travel.

The large aircraft required a new wing design. The new wing featured a sweep of 36 degrees, which was much more than the 27 degree wing sweep that was used on previous Gulfstream business jets. The G650 was also the first Gulfstream private jet that utilized fly-by-wire flight controls, making it the second business jet to utilize this type of technology, following the Dassault Falcon 7X.

Inside the cockpit, the Gulfstream G650 is powered by the PlaneView II integrated flight deck. This powerful avionics system is based on the Honeywell

Primus Epic avionics suite. This was the last aircraft produced by Gulfstream that utilized the standard yoke controls, as later aircraft utilized active sidesticks.

The G650 series is powered by two Rolls-Royce

BR725 turbofan engines. These efficient engines each provide the G650 with nearly 17,000 pounds of thrust. Overall, the Gulfstream G650ER has the following performance specifications: