Tail record, Gulfstream G280, United States register
A lightly flown G280: flown less than three quarters of its type.
01
Flown less often than 97% of G280s, by flights a month.
Tracked flights
18
in the twelve months, about 2 a month
Busiest G280s
271st
of 279 tracked, by flights a month
Estimated hours
≈20
in the twelve months, from time in the air
Flights a month, every tracked G280
02
N978M stayed within or below the middle half of the fleet in every month. Its busiest month was June 2026, with 4 flights.
Its busiest month was June 2026, with 4 flights. It did not fly in October 2025. The record has 12 tracking gaps, so about one flight in 2 may be missing and every count is a minimum.
03
Each measure against all 279 tracked G280s. Every dot is one aircraft; the gold one is N978M.
Chapter 4
Gentler than its type
How hard has it been used?
Light use spends maintenance intervals slowly, but long spells parked bring their own wear: seals, corrosion and preservation. Worth asking how it was stored.
Flights a monthLead measure. 3rd percentile
2.3middle G280 6.6
Days flown a month4th percentile
2.0 dmiddle G280 4.7 d
Estimated hours a year1st percentile
≈34 hrmiddle G280 ≈124 hr
Harsher means harder on the aircraft than three quarters of G280s; typical is the middle half. Percentiles compare this aircraft with every tracked G280, over its record since 1 Jan 2025.
04
The fleet is shown, and whether N978M sits inside its middle half. Its grades and values are in the full report.
Chapter 1
Hours per landing, middle G280: 1.6 : 1
Also graded: short hops. Leg length is shown as context.
N978M sits outside the middle half, on one side or the other. Its grade and exact place are in the full report.
Unlock this chapterChapter 2
Salt air, middle G280: 1%
Also graded: damp air, freeze–thaw, near the coast and moisture in the air.
N978M sits outside the middle half, on one side or the other. Its grade and exact place are in the full report.
Unlock this chapterChapter 3
Short runways, middle G280: 12%
Also graded: hot, high takeoffs; density altitude; dust and dry climate.
N978M sits outside the middle half, on one side or the other. Its grade and exact place are in the full report.
Unlock this chapter05
All four chapters, every flight since January 2025 leg by leg, and the one thing to ask the seller.
Page one
Every chapter has this table, with a note on any assumption behind it.
days
Ask for
N978M, Gulfstream G280
$395one aircraft
Weighing it against other G280s? Put it on a Spotlight board with up to four others. Included with Unlimited, $995 a month.
06
The Aircraft Ledger. “N978M: how this Gulfstream G280 is flown.” Data through 31 Jul 2026. theaircraftledger.com/aircraft/n978m
About 20 estimated hours in the 12 months to 31 Jul 2026, across 18 tracked flights. Hours are estimated from time in the air, so the logbook has the exact figure.
N978M made 18 tracked flights in the 12 months to 31 Jul 2026, about 2 a month, and flew on about 2 days in each month it flew.
1 of its 18 tracked flights in the 12 months to 31 Jul 2026, 6%, crossed a border.
It was last tracked in June 2026. We publish an aircraft’s flights seven days after they happen, and show them by month only.
We leave out airports, bases and exact dates on purpose. We show how an aircraft has been used, not where it goes.
All four graded chapters (Fatigue, Corrosion, Engines and brakes, and Utilization), each against the tracked G280s, plus the operational summary and operating rhythm, as a PDF, CSV and share link. It costs $395, or $995 a month for unlimited reports and Spotlight.
Method: flight data, every count a minimum. Estimated hours from time in the air. About our data
Owners and operators can ask us not to publish an aircraft. Data policy and opt-out
Not a substitute for a pre-purchase inspection or records review. TailCheck shows how an aircraft has been used, not its condition.