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Feature: Lear Jet Bio & Historical Timeline

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  1. LearJet
    Learjet is a manufacturer of small to midsize cabin private and business jets. Originally founded in 1960 by William Powell Lear to develop a small business jet based on the abandoned design of a ground-attack fighter aircraft originally flown in 1955, Learjet essentially invented the modern business jet nearly 50 years ago. Today Learjet is a subsidiary of Bombardier Aerospace, and continues to be at the forefront of performance and innovation with a range of private jet aircraft that includes the Learjet 85, the first all-composite business aircraft.

    William Powell Lear was born on June 26, 1902 in Hannibal, Missouri. He attended public high-school, but only until the 8th grade when he was dismissed for showing up his teachers. Instead, he taught himself. He read widely on wireless radio, including the works of Nicola Tesla, built himself a radio set, and learned Morse code... the fun ending with the ban on radio during World War I. At age 16 he joined the Navy – lying about his age - near the end of the war and became a radio technician. Later, after being discharged from the Navy, he decided to complete his high-school education. He was on the verge of finishing the entire 4 year curriculum in one year when he was again dismissed for showing up his teachers.

    In 1922, at age 20, Lear founded the first of his many companies, Quincy Radio Laboratory which later became Lear Radio Laboratory. This company was the basis for Lear's early steps in the miniaturization of electronics using Litz wire - wire braided from many fine strands has a large surface area giving it high conductivity at radio frequencies. In the late 1920s Lear was contracted by Galvin Manufacturing Corporation to assist with the development of the first automobile radio. Lear traded his coil miniaturization company – Radio Coil & Wire Corp. - for 1/3 interest in Galvin. In 1930 Galvin introduced this radio: the “Motorola”. Yes... that Motorola.

    Meanwhile, Lear turned his attention to aviation. In 1931 he purchased his first airplane, a Fleet biplane. The challenges of navigation led Lear into the development of radio direction finders and avionics, such as autopilots as well as the first automatic aircraft landing system under the company name of Lear Developments, then later Lear Incorporated.

    1960 saw William Lear move himself and his family to Switzerland to found the Swiss American Aviation Company, and the concept of the Learjet was born. The FFA P-16 was a ground-attack aircraft developed in the early 1950, and first flown in 1955. Though the project was canceled in 1960 Lear saw potential in the basic design as a good starting point in the development of a business jet. The shape of the wing, the distinctive wingtip fuel tanks, and the landing gear of the first Learjets were little changed from the designs used in the P-16 prototypes. Lear purchased the tooling for building these aircraft and shipped it all to Wichita, Kansas, intent on manufacturing the Lear Jet. In 1962, when he was unable to convince the board of directors of Lear Inc. to go into the aircraft business, he sold the company to Siegler Corporation for $14,300,000 and renamed his own company, the Swiss American Aviation Company, to “Lear Jet”.


    0-200 in 61!

    October 7th, 1963 saw the first test flight of the Learjet 23, just 8 months to the day after construction of the airframe was started, and one year after that in October of 1964 the first production aircraft was delivered. With a maximum speed of Mach 0.82, a range of over 1800 miles at cruising speeds of over 500 miles per hour, and a service ceiling of 45,000 feet the revolutionary Learjet 23 opened an entirely new market for business aviation and set the standard for fast and efficient private jets for years to come. It was also the first production aircraft in the world that was wholly financed and developed by single individual.

    In 1966 the Learjet 24, the successor to the Learjet 23, flew for the first time. An improved version of the 23, the four- to six-passenger Learjet24 was engineered to accept up to the full 13,500 pounds gross-weight permitted in the FAA transport category regulations. Other improvements in the design were upgraded General Electric turbojet engines, and increased cabin pressurization to allow higher operating altitudes. In that same year the Learjet 25 was also built. As a stretched version of the 24, the 25 could carry up to eight passengers.

    On November 27th, 1968 – just five years and one month after the first test flight of the very first business jet – the company delivered it's 200th Lear Jet.

    Gates Learjet Corporation

    In April of 1967 William Lear's stock in the company – approximately 60%, worth $27 million – was acquired by Gates Rubber Company, with Lear remaining on the board of directors until early 1969, though his main interest was now the research and development of low-pollution power systems to replace the internal combustion engines.

    In 1971 Gates Learjet began experimenting with a Garrett turbofan powered Learjet 25. As a result of the increased power and reduced noise of the new engine, Learjet further improved the design, and instead of being simply a variant of the 25, it became its own model, the Learjet 35 – a multi-role business jet and military transport capable of carrying 6-8 passengers, with a range of over 2000 nautical miles. Developed alongside the 35 was the 36. Essentially identical, except for the passenger area which was shortened by approximately 18 inches to make room for a larger fuselage fuel-tank, giving the Learjet 36 a 500 mile longer range than the 35.

    The Learjet35A was introduced in 1976 as an upgrade to the 35 with higher performing Garrett turbofans, and increased fuel capacity, upping the range to 2789 miles. Over 600 35As were produced between 1976 and 1993. In 1996 a Learjet 35A piloted by Mark E. Calkins, Charles Conrad, Jr., Paul Thayer, and Daniel Miller completed an around-the-world flight in record time. The records still stand of 2011. The Learjet 35A also held the speed record from Los Angelese to Washington with a flight time of just 4 hours and 12 minutes, but that record was broken by the retired Lockheed SR-71 Blackbird which made the same trip in just 64 minutes.

    In 1975 Lear Jet Corporation produced it's 500th private jet, making it the first company to achieve that milestone. By the latter half of 1976 production rates were up to 10 aircraft per month.

    The Learjet 28 was first flown in 1977. Based on the Learjet 25, but with a completely new wing design, the 28 lost the signature wingtip tanks in favor of more aerodynamic winglets. Now a common sight on nearly all business jets and commercial aircraft as well, the Learjet 28 – and the longer range 29 derivative - were the first production aircraft to feature them. However, despite the increase in performance and fuel efficiency achieved with the winglets, the outdated GE turbojet engines were too noisy and consumed too much fuel compared to the more modern turbofans and the Learjet 28/29 program was very short-lived with just five 28s and four 29s ever produced.

    Just 2 years after the 28 first flew, the Learjet 55 took to the skies. A larger design than previous Lear Jet models, the 55 was spacious enough for up to 10 passengers and 2 crew. Again, the winglets co-designed with NASA were featured on a redesigned wing, but this time the power-plants chosen were Garrett turbofans. And, as was often the case with Lear business jets, the Learjet 55 was a true performer: on July 7, 1983 a standard production Model 55 set six new time-to-climb records for its weight class.


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  2. On March 28th, 1980 the 1000th Learjet was produced.

    Through the 80s Lear Jet Corporation continued to produce and refine the business jet aircraft it offered. Variants with improved range, more capacity, greater speed and performance were all offered. In 1984 the startup of a high technology Aerospace Division was announced and in September of the following year this division was selected to build components for the Space Shuttle's main booster rockets.

    In 1987 Gates Learjet Corporation was acquired by Integrated Acquisition Inc and the name was changed to Learjet Corporation.

    Also in 1987 the Learjet 31 first flew. The Learjet 31 was the ultimate realization of the original Learjet series (dating back to the original Learjet 23 of 1963). By essentially combining the fuselage and engines of the ultra-successful Learjet 35/36 with the updated wing design of the 28/29 and 55 models, the performance that could be achieved was equaled by few aircraft. Normal cruise altitudes range from 41,000 to 47,000 feet and the jet’s maximum cruise altitude of 51,000 feet was a distinction shared by only a handful of civil aircraft. Improvements over earlier models, such as delta-fins at the bottom of the empennage and a “ski-locker” cargo area increased the utility and improved the performance of the Learjet 31.

    Bombardier Learjet Family

    In June of 1990 Bombardier Aerospace finalized the purchase of Lear Jet Corporation and the aircraft being produced were marketed as the “Bombardier Learjet Family”. The first new jet to fly under the banner of the new brand was the Learjet 60 – an improved version of the 55 with a longer fuselage, capable of carrying up to 10 passengers, and more powerful Pratt & Whitney Canada turbofan engines, as well as some aerodynamic refinements that improved performance during approach and landing. The maximum range of the Learjet 60 is 2405 nautical miles, which, while note quite enough for direct transoceanic flights from the United States to Europe, does enable it to cross the Atlantic from Newfoundland to the British Isles.

    The Learjet 60, and subsequent 60XR which is the model still currently being produced, are also notable for being the last of the legacy Learjets using the original wing design that William Lear adapted from the Swiss military ground-attack jet in 1960.

    Between 1993 and today there have been over 400 Learjet 60 and 60XRs produced.

    Announced in 1992, and first flown on October 7th, 1995 (the 32nd anniversary of the first flight of the first Learjet) was the Learjet 45, intended to fit in between the older and smaller Learjet 31, and the larger Learjet 60. Powered by two Honeywell geared turbofans, the 45 could carry 4 passengers comfortably up to 1710 nautical miles, or up to 9 passengers with slightly reduced range. Several years later the Learjet 40 was developed as a smaller variant of the 45, designed to replace the discontinued Learjet 31.
    Looking Ahead...

    The Learjet 85 development was announced in 2007 as the first Bombardier Aerospace jet to feature a composite structure and will be Learjet's first composite structure business jet designed for type certification under FAR-25. The 85 is expected to have a cruise speed of Mach 0.82 and a transcontinental range of 3000 nautical miles powered by 2 Pratt & Whitney turbine engines. Assembly of the first two flight-test airframes as well as the static test aircraft have all begun at Bombardier’s facilities in Wichita, Kansas and Queretaro, Mexico. FAA certification is expected in the latter half of 2013.

    The Learjet 70/75 is the latest development program from Bombardier Aerospace. Unveiled in May of 2012, and considered “minor derivatives” of existing aircraft, these two light business jet are being introduced in anticipation of business aircraft recovery predicted by Bombardier. Based on the 6-8 passenger Learjet 40/45 models with mechanical and aerodynamic modifications to improve performance, both models will feature new avionics, winglets and more powerful engines that use less fuel. Flight tests were completed in August of 2011 and entry into service is scheduled to begin in the first half of 2013.


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  3. Learjet 40​
  4. Learjet 45​
  5. Bombardier Learjet 45​
  6. Learjet 60​
  7. Bombardier Learjet 60​
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