Best of the Best 2025: Wings
Best of the Best: Gulfstream G800
First unveiled in 2021, Gulfstream’s G800 is set to raise the standard in ultra–long-range business aviation. The next-generation jet offers 8,000 nautical miles of range at Mach 0.85, with a top operating speed of Mach 0.925, giving travelers exceptional flexibility.
On board, high-speed Wi-Fi and a plasma ionization system that refreshes cabin air every three minutes support comfort and well-being. A low cabin-altitude environment and an optional circadian-rhythm lighting system further reduce fatigue on long sectors.
The 19-seat interior features three living areas (with an option for a dedicated crew compartment) and can accommodate up to seven passengers overnight. Power comes from Rolls-Royce Pearl 700 engines, while Gulfstream’s refined fuselage and winglets boost efficiency—delivering a notable gain over previous models.
Turboprop: Beechcraft King Air 260
Introduced in 1964, the Beechcraft King Air is not only the world’s best-selling turboprop business aircraft but also an icon among aircraft aficionados. Parent company Textron created a commemorative 60th Crimson Edition to celebrate its success, with deliveries taking place this year.
The vibrant red and silver exterior, with a custom interior featuring dark leather seats and crimson accent piping, harks back to the King Air’s earlier days, while its modern cockpit includes digital pressurization, multi-scan weather radar, and Collins Aerospace’s Pro Line avionics. Perhaps the real beauty behind this new King Air is its ability to recall the past while embracing the future.
Global Private-Jet Tours: Aman Jet Expeditions
In the small but competitive niche of private-jet journeys, Aman Resorts and Remote Lands have partnered to develop an even more exclusive nook: global adventures for clients who don’t usually do group travel. Compared to flying competitors with 48-seat jets, Remote Lands’ custom Airbus ACJ319, configured in a lounge design, accommodates just 16 to 19 people, with two flight attendants, two pilots, an engineer, and a chef.
In keeping with the uber-exclusive approach, guests stay at Aman five-star hotels and resorts on itineraries that include round-the-world travel or region-specific destinations such as Southeast Asia. Many trips include personalized tours with private cars, drivers, and guides. This combination of selective socialization and bespoke travel sets Aman Jet Expeditions apart.
Light Jet: Hondajet Echelon
In January, Honda Aircraft Company began construction of the first model of its new Echelon at its North Carolina facility, with flight tests scheduled for next year. The Echelon is a clean-sheet design rather than simply a stretched HondaJet, with stats that surpass competitors’, including a best-in-class range of 2,625 nautical miles, 120 cubic feet of baggage space, and a maximum cruise speed of 450 knots. The important breakthroughs, though, lie behind the numbers. The Echelon has a fuselage length of 57.8 feet, compared to 42.6 feet for the standard HondaJet, and it maximizes cabin space to offer 4.5 inches more headroom than the HondaJet, as well as more legroom. The new avionics suite is yet to be revealed, but a confirmed gold-standard feature is Garmin’s Emergency Autoland. The technical leaps have not gone unnoticed: The Echelon has received almost 500 letters of intent to purchase.
Helicopter: Hill HX50
Scheduled to begin flight tests this year, the Hill HX50 helicopter could be a game changer if it lives up to founder Jason Hill’s expectations. The aerospace engineer showed the first rendering in 2020 after spending more than a decade conceiving a private helicopter with much newer technology than the competition. “It’s geared to make everything about helicopter flying simpler than before,” says Hill, likening it more to a supercar experience than to a traditional rotorcraft. The sleek design includes quality features such as a carbon-fiber monocoque frame, roll cage, and impact-absorbing leather seats. The cockpit’s hybrid helicopter-automotive design is sure to please, given that a third of the people who have reserved the 1,300 presold examples have never previously owned an aircraft.
FBO (Fixed-Base Operator): Clay Lacy Aviation John Wayne Airport
FBOs are experiencing rapid infusions of capital as private-equity firms see the potential for modernizing private-jet facilities. The most impressive FBO, however, is now being built by industry stalwart Clay Lacy Aviation on its 14-acre property at John Wayne Airport in Orange County, Calif. The development will include 41,800 square feet of office space and an upscale passenger terminal, with four new hangars (totaling 145,000 square feet) built to accommodate the largest business jets. Global architecture firm Gensler paired modern design with passenger comfort across the project. The campus will also be the first Envision Gold Certified FBO designated by the Institute of Sustainable Infrastructure and certified as carbon-neutral. High-capacity charging stations for electric eVTOL and hybrid aircraft, as well as Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), also illustrate how Clay Lacy is preparing for the next aircraft revolution.
Personal Aircraft: Pivotal Helix
The idea of flying an advanced aircraft without a pilot’s license seems like sci-fi, but Pivotal’s Helix is the best of a new generation of electric aircraft turning that notion into reality. The one-person carbon-fiber eVTOL fits in the FAA’s Part 103 Ultralight category, which doesn’t require a pilot’s license. Silicon Valley–based Pivotal spent over a decade developing the advanced fly- by-wire controls and software that aid new pilots with flight navigation while automatically adjusting prop speed and wing trim for wind or altitude changes. Joystick controls become intuitive as pilots spend several weeks in a flight simulator guided by FAA-accredited flight instructors and then actually take to the air, flying the Helix through multiple scenarios. The fun factor makes the rigorous training worthwhile, as one eventually flies solo 150 feet above empty terrain, at a leisurely 55 mph, with the freedom only flight can bring.
For a complete list of Robb Report Philippines’ Best of the Best awardees, click here.