There are private jets, and then there are Gulfstreams.
In an opaque world filled with eight-figure price tags and anonymous clients, Gulfstream has managed to transcend the business-aviation industry and become a pop-culture icon.
Companies such as Bombardier, Embraer, and Cessna all build world-class business jets, but none have become engrained in pop culture quite like Gulfstream and its G-series jets. After all, no other business-jet company has been the subject of a pop song that hit No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to sample the Gulfstream experience when the airplane maker invited me and several other journalists to visit the company's headquarters in Savannah, Georgia. Our chariot for this trip was none other than a new Gulfstream G550, worth a cool $61.5 million. Business Insider provided financial compensation to Gulfstream for the trip.