The Gulfstream IVSP is known as one of the world's best selling large-cabin business jets and enjoys an impressive record for technical performance, safety and reliability. GIV offers new technical improvements from its predecessor such as is the change of engines from the Rolls-Royce Spey to the Rolls-Royce Tay Mk 611-8, used in later jets including the G300 and 400. The successful intercontinental-range business jet has been a prototype for later Gulfstream models. While the GIV’s maximum takeoff weight has increased from predecessors, the GIV-SP (single-pilot modification) is even greater.

The aircraft holds 67 flight records and boasts a dispatch reliability rate in excess of 99 percent. The Gulfstream IV-SP's range of 4,220 nautical miles easily connects Aspen and Honolulu, New York and Frankfurt, and Chicago and Barcelona. It flies at 45,000 feet, maintaining a constant 6,500 foot cabin pressure and a 100 percent fresh air environmental control system to maximize passenger comfort. For example, a Gulfstream IV-SP is used as a hurricane tracker for the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The Gulfstream IV-SP's efficient short-field operations also make it popular for medical evacuations.

The cabin has a length of 45.1 feet, width of 7.3 feet, and height of 6.1 feet and can travel with up to 19 passengers comfortably. The aircraft features amenities which include a large galley and full-sized lavatory, including a shower. 

The GIV-SP features two Rolls-Royce Tay Mk611-8 engines, each of which supplies 13,850 pounds of thrust. The GIV-SP possesses a maximum range of 4,220 nautical miles and a maximum speed of Mach 0.88. It has accrued more than 3.1 million flight hours and completed more than 1.5 million landings. As of June 30, 2008, the business jet had a dispatch reliability rate of 99.89 percent.