Larry Ellison is currently one of the wealthiest businessmen in the world. Ellison is currently the fourth-wealthiest person in the world, as he has an estimated net worth that is over $200 billion. He is well known for founding Oracle Corporation, one of the largest software companies in the world.

Ellison was born on August 17, 1944, in New York City, New York. However, he was adopted by his biological aunt and uncle before he turned one year old and his family moved him to the south side of Chicago, Illinois. After graduating from South Shore High School in Chicago, Ellison moved to central Illinois to attend the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He originally studied as a pre-med student, although he dropped out before he finished his sophomore year due to the death of his adoptive mother. The following year, he enrolled at the University of Chicago, where he studied both mathematics and physics.

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While Ellison was at the University of Chicago, he came across computer programming and design. He immediately became interested in software development, which led him to drop out and move to Berkeley, California, to begin his computer programming career.

In the 1970s, Ellison worked at several different software companies, including Amdahl Corporation and Ampex Corporation. He found himself interested in database management through his varying roles. This led to him and two other partners founding a company called Software Development Laboratories (SDL), which was later renamed to Relational Software Inc.

IBM dominated database management at that time, but Ellison was determined to break into the industry. In the late 1970s, Ellison’s company released the Oracle Database, which led to the rebranding of the company to Oracle Systems Corporation. Oracle was able to compete in the industry throughout the 1980s and 1990s, mostly due to its competitiveness in providing mid-range systems. Eventually, Oracle was able to outlast its main competitors, including Sybase and Informix.

Photo: Gulfstream

Ellison and Oracle continued to overtake the database management industry throughout the 2000s, competing against IBM and Microsoft. Ellison has maintained a leadership role at Oracle, as he is currently listed at the Executive Chairman and Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of the company.

Ellison’s role as founder of Oracle, as well as his continued work for the company, has led him to accumulate a net worth of over $200 billion. This makes him one of the wealthiest people in the world. Because of this extreme wealth, it is no wonder that Ellison owns and operates his own business jet. Let’s take a closer look at this aircraft, as well as where Ellison flies this private jet. Let’s also take a look at why his business jet is so popular in the private aviation industry.

About Larry Ellison’s private jet

According to Celebrity Private Jet Tracker, Ellison currently flies on a Gulfstream G650 that is registered as N817GS. According to FlightAware, this aircraft was first built and introduced in 2014, and it has a serial number of 6111. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) lists the official registered owner of the aircraft as Wing and a Prayer Inc. This company is based in Walnut Creek, California, although the main operator of the aircraft is Larry Ellison.

Photo: Gulfstream

Ellison operates this aircraft fairly frequently, mostly on domestic flights. The G650 typically flies between multiple destinations within the US, typically near one of the many residences owned by Ellison. According to Celebrity Private Jet Tracker, some of the aircraft’s most visited airports include:

Additionally, the Gulfstream G650 boasts one of the furthest ranges of any private jet in the ultra-long-range business jet class. It maintains a maximum range of approximately 7,500 nautical miles (8,600 miles), making it one of the most luxurious private jets in the business aviation industry. Because of this, Ellison occasionally flies this private jet to destinations around the world. According to Celebrity Private Jet Tracker, some of the international destinations that Ellison’s Gulfstream G650 has flown to include:

• Farnborough Airport (FAB) in Farnborough, England
• Palma de Mallorca Airport (PMI) in Mallorca, Spain
• Shannon Airport (SNN) in County Clare, Ireland
• Kidlington Airport (OXF) in Oxford, England
• Capodichino Airport (NAP) in Naples, Italy
• Côte d’Azur Airport (NCE) in Nice, France

A brief history of the Gulfstream G650

The Gulfstream G650 is, historically, one of Gulfstream’s most popular business jet offerings. When it was introduced, it was the largest, fastest, and most expensive business jet that Gulfstream produced. However, it was recently surpassed in all respects by the legendary Gulfstream G700, which was introduced in early 2024.

Photo: InsectWorld | Shutterstock

Gulfstream, one of the most popular business jet manufacturers, first began developing the G650 in the early 2000s. At this time, Gulfstream identified a growing demand in the ultra-long-range business jet market. At this time, the Bombardier Global Express rivaled Gulfstream’s own offering of the G550. However, Gulfstream realized that there would be a growing demand for business owners, corporate executives, and wealthy travelers that would find a need to connect further distances.

This led to the development of a brand-new clean-sheet design. The project was first launched in May 2005, although it was not publicly revealed until March 2008. The announcement of the project was extremely well-received by the private aviation industry, as the G650 was set to become the largest, fastest, and most expensive business jet on the market.

After several years of product design, the first prototype G650 was rolled out in late 2009. Just a month later, in November 2009, the first G650 conducted its maiden flight, which kicked off the extensive flight testing program. During the aircraft’s flight testing, one of the prototypes reached an impressive speed of Mach 0.995 (660 miles per hour) during a dive.

After over 1,800 flight test hours, the FAA awarded the G650 its type certificate in September 2012. It was officially introduced to the market in December 2012.

Photo: Gulfstream

A few years later, in 2014, Gulfstream revealed a significant upgrade to the G650. This upgrade was later designated the Gulfstream G650ER, which had an increased range due to an increase in fuel capacity. This aircraft was type certified in October 2014, and it was introduced later that year.

Other operators of the Gulfstream G650

Since the aircraft’s introduction in 2012, over 500 variants have been delivered. It has found a niche with many wealthy travelers, including business executives and celebrities around the world, who have taken delivery of a Gulfstream G650.

The largest operator of the Gulfstream G650 is Qatar Executive, which is the private jet charter business segment of Qatar Airways. According to Private Jet Card Comparisons, Qatar Executive currently operates a fleet of 14 G650s. It also was the launch customer of Gulfstream’s newest aircraft, the G700.

Several other charter companies own and operate several Gulfstream G650s. This includes the following private jet providers:

• Flexjet
• Gestair Executive Jet
• Global Jet of Luxembourg
• Jet Aviation of Hong Kong

Additionally, many companies have found the G650 to be sufficient for their business operations. This includes Pfizer, Chevron, News Corporation, Nike, and Walt Disney. Other celebrities and business executives have taken delivery of a Gulfstream G650 for their own private use. This includes the following users:

• Bill Gates
• Jeff Bezos
• Elon Musk
• Mark Zuckerberg

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Design features and performance specifications of the Gulfstream G650

As previously mentioned, the Gulfstream G650 was the largest, fastest, and most expensive business jet at the time of its introduction. It was also a clean-sheet design, meaning that the majority of the aircraft was newly designed, including many major components such as the wing. The new wing has 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 also utilized fly-by-wire flight controls, making it only the second private jet to utilize this type of technology, following the Dassault Falcon 7X.

Gulfstream also developed a new fuselage for the G650. This fuselage featured an oval cross-section instead of a circular cross-section. It can fit a maximum of 13 passengers, depending on the configuration. This fuselage features the following cabin dimensions:

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

The interior cabin is typically fitted into three interior zones. Customers have the ability to customize these interior zones, although popular options include a forward galley with a dedicated crew compartment, a living area with a couch, an aft galley, or executive club seating. The fuselage also features sixteen of Gulfstream’s large panoramic oval windows.

Photo: Gulfstream

The Gulfstream G650 is also powered by two Rolls-Royce

BR725 turbofan engines, which each provide the aircraft with nearly 17,000 pounds of thrust. These engines help the Gulfstream G650 achieve the following performance specifications: