How Learjet Defined Luxury Business Jet Travel
William Lear didn’t have to create the jet that would become most identified with luxury business and private travel to make his mark. Born in 1902 Hannibal, Missouri, Lear had already accomplished a great deal before developing the Learjet 23 in the early 1960s. Lear founded Motorola and was awarded 150-plus patents for such things as the 8-track cassette and avionics-related systems including an automatic direction finder, the autopilot system, an automatic landing system, two-way radio for private planes, and more. Seeing a need for small, high-performance business jets, however, compelled Lear to pour his fortune into Learjet. Now owned by Bombardier (also the owner of the Challenger and Global business jet brands) “Learjet” remains synonymous with luxury travel 50-plus years on, as the current Learjet 70 and 75 models strongly suggest.
The Stars Come Out
Lear began developing the Learjet at the avionics-focused Swiss American Aviation Corporation he launched in 1960 in Switzerland. Failing to win backing from the company’s board for the project, however, led Lear to sell his company share and sink millions of his own money into the Learjet 23, “the world’s first business jet.” In 1962, Lear established the Lear Jet Corporation in Wichita, Kansas, where the company remains headquartered today, to carry out the work.
Entering production in October 1964, the 23 immediately began breaking world records in speed and climbing categories. It also gained valuable approval early on from Frank Sinatra and Danny Kaye, and later from Arnold Palmer, Neil Armstrong, and other notables that would help cement the jet’s luxury status and performance abilities.
Eventually, the Learjet 23 gave way to the Learjet 24 (which Sinatra reportedly owned) and Learjet 25, which first flew in February and August 1966, respectively. Type-certified in March 1966, the 24 broke nearly 20 aviation records while completing a global trek in just over 50 hours. (A recession that year led Lear to sell a majority share in his company to Gates Rubber Company in 1967.) The 25, meanwhile, would set a time-to-climb record by hitting 40,000 feet in 6:19 (minutes:seconds).
Building A Legend
Evolving from a Learjet 25 equipped with a Garrett TFE731-2 turbofan engine, the Learjet 35 and longer-range Learjet 36 earned their certifications in 1974, with the 35 becoming the company’s most popular aircraft to that point. In 1981, Learjet released the Learjet 55, the company’s first medium-sized jet. By 1986, the company had delivered its 1,500th Learjet aircraft.
Integrated Acquisition would acquire the company, renamed “Gates Learjet Corporation,” in 1987. In 1990, Bombardier acquired Learjet, marketing the aircraft as “the Bombardier Learjet Family.” The next year, Bombardier established the Bombardier Test Flight Center in Wichita; 1991 was also the year the Learjet 60 first flew. Following Bombardier’s acquisition, work started on the midsized Learjet 60, which launched in 1993 as “the world’s quietest business jet.” Bombardier also began work around this time on the Learjet 45, the company’s first model designed entirely from CAD technology and manufactured primarily using computer-powered equipment.
The 70 & 75
Bombardier’s current Learjet 70 and 75 models are essentially upgrades of the Learjet 45 and 40 (a smaller version of the 45 first delivered in 2004) in terms of power, cabin interior, efficiency, and performance. Introduced in 2012, the 70 and 75 are powered by Honeywell TFE731-40BR engines, operate at a maximum 51,000-foot (15,545-meter) altitude, and have a Mach 0.81 top speed and Mach 0.79 top cruise speed. The 70 seats up to seven while the 75 seats up to nine in its longer, 19.10-foot (6.04-meter) cabin.
Elsewhere, the 70 has a maximum 2,060-nautical-mile (3,815-kilometer) range with six passengers onboard vs. the 75’s 2,040-nautical-mile (3,778-kilometer) range with the same passenger load, though the 75’s wingspan is 2 feet (0.6 meters) wider. In June 2017, Bombardier delivered the 100th Learjet 75 (the 3,000th Learjet overall), touted as the only business jet in its class to include an eight-seat double-club configuration, a flat floor throughout the cabin, and a forward pocket door that enhances cabin quietness.
You’ll find numerous pre-owned Learjet aircraft for sale on Controller.com, including the current flagship, Learjet 75, as well as Learjet 45s, Learjet 40s, and several other models.
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