Learjet is a manufacturer of
business jetBusiness jet, private jet or, colloquially, bizjet is a term describing a jet aircraft, usually of smaller size, designed for transporting groups of business people or wealthy individuals. Business jets may be adapted for other roles, such as the evacuation of casualties or express parcel...
s for civilian and military use. It was founded in the late 1950s by
William Powell Lear Jr.William Powell Lear was an American inventor and businessman. He is best known for founding the Lear Jet Corporation, a manufacturer of business jets...
as
Swiss American Aviation Corporation. Learjet is now a subsidiary of
BombardierBombardier Aerospace is a division of Bombardier Inc.. It is the third largest aircraft company in the world in terms of yearly delivery of commercial airplanes overall, and the fourth largest in terms of yearly delivery of regional jets...
and marketed as the "Bombardier Learjet Family".
History
The Learjet started life as an abortive Swiss ground-attack
fighter aircraftA fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets by dropping bombs. Fighters are small, fast, and maneuverable...
, the
FFA P-16The FFA P-16 was a Swiss prototype ground attack jet fighter designed in the 1950s to replace the piston-engined types then in service with the Swiss Air Force. It was Switzerland's second attempt to develop a domestically-designed and manufactured jet fighter, but the project was terminated before...
. Development started in 1952 and prototypes were ordered the next year. The first prototypes flew in 1955 and construction and testing continued until 1958 when an order for 100 was placed. This was reversed soon after due to a crash of the third prototype. Two additional prototypes were finished, the last in 1960, but the project was ended at this point.
The basic structure of this aircraft was seen by Bill Lear and his team as a good starting point to the development of a business jet, which was originally intended to be called the
SAAC-23. The wing with its distinctive tip fuel tanks and landing gear of the first Learjets were little changed from those used by the fighter prototypes. The tooling for building the aircraft was purchased and moved to
Wichita, KansasWichita is a city in and the county seat of Sedgwick County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2000 census its population was 344,284. The 2006 estimated population of 361,420 made it the 51st largest city in the country and the most populous city in Kansas...
in 1962. LearJet was in a temporary office which opened in September 1962 while the plant at Wichita's airport was under construction. On February 7,1963 assembly of the first Learjet began. The next year, the company was renamed the
Lear Jet Corporation.
The original
Learjet 23The Learjet 23 is an American six to eight seat twin-engined, high speed business jet. Manufactured by Learjet, the LJ23 was revolutionary in the aviation world.-History:...
was a six to eight seater and
first flewThe first flight of a new aircraft type is always a historic occasion for the type. It is also one of the most dangerous, because the exact handling characteristics of the aircraft are generally unknown. The first flight of a new type is almost invariably flown by a highly experienced test pilot...
on October 7, 1963, with the first production model being delivered in October 1964. Just over a month later, Lear Jet became a publicly-owned corporation. Several derived models followed, with the
Model 24The Learjet 24 is an American six to eight seat twin-engined, high speed business jet. Manufactured by Learjet as the successor to the Lear Jet 23.-History:...
first flying on February 24, 1966 and the
Model 25The Learjet 25 is an American ten seat twin-engined, high speed business jet aircraft. Manufactured by Learjet as a stretched version of the Learjet 24.-Development:...
first flying on August 12, 1966. On September 19 of the same year, the company was renamed
Lear Jet Industries Inc.
On April 10, 1967, all of Bill Lear's assets he held approximately 60% of the company (US$27,000,000) were acquired by the Gates Rubber Company of Denver,
ColoradoColorado is a U.S. state located in the Rocky Mountain region of the United States of America. It may also be considered to be part of the Western and Southwestern regions of the United States. Colorado entered statehood in 1876 and was nicknamed the “Centennial State”...
, United States. However, Lear remained on the board until April 2, 1969. Later, in 1969, the company was merged with Gates Aviation and the company name was changed to
Gates Learjet Corporation.
In 1971, the first Model 25 powered by a
Garrett TFE731-2The Honeywell TFE731 is a family of geared turbofan engines commonly used on business jet aircraft. The engine was originally designed and built by Garrett AiResearch, and due to mergers was later produced by AlliedSignal and currently Honeywell Aerospace....
turbofanA turbofan is a type of aircraft gas turbine engine that provides propulsion using a combination of a ducted fan and a jet exhaust nozzle. Part of the airstream from the ducted fan passes through the core, providing oxygen to burn fuel to create power. However, the rest of the air flow bypasses...
engine was flown. This aircraft later became the successful Learjet 35. That year, the company was awarded the President's "E" Award for promoting export sales.
In 1974, the worldwide Learjet fleet had exceeded the one million flight hours mark and in 1975 the company produced its 500th jet. In both instances they were the first manufacturer to do so. By late 1976, the company had increased the number of aircraft being produced each month to 10.
On August 24, 1977, the Learjet 28 made its first flight. The Learjet 28/29 was based on the Learjet 25, and received a completely new wing fitted with winglets, resulting in improved performance and fuel economy. The Learjet 28/29 became the first production jet aircraft to utilize these winglets - which are now a common sight on most business and commercial airplanes. The winglets inspired the name "Longhorn" for the short-lived Learjet 28/29 series and for some of the more successful models that followed.
On April 19, 1979, the prototype for the
Model 54/55/56The Learjet 55 "Longhorn" is a business jet manufactured by Gates Learjet. The introduction of the Learjet 50 series occurred at the 1977 Paris air show. The winglets on the Learjet 55 were developed by NASA...
series had its first flight, and on July 7, 1983 a standard production Model 55 set six new time-to-climb records for its weight class.
In 1984, the Gates Learjet announced the start of their Aerospace Division, a high technology endeavor. However, by the end of the year the company had ceased production of its commercial jets in an effort to reduce inventories. This lasted until February 1986, when the company headquarters were transferred to Tucson,
ArizonaThe State of Arizona is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. The capital and largest city is Phoenix. The second largest city is Tucson, followed in size by the four Phoenix metropolitan area cities of Mesa, Glendale, Chandler, and Scottsdale.Arizona was the 48th and...
, and production was restarted both in Wichita and Tucson.
On September 10, 1985, the Aerospace Division was awarded a contract to produce parts for the
Space ShuttleThe Space Shuttle, part of the Space Transportation System , is a spacecraft operated by NASA for orbital human spaceflight missions. It began operations in the 1980s and is scheduled to be retired from service in 2010 after 134 launches...
's main engines.
In 1987, the Gates Learjet was acquired by Integrated Acquisition and the next year the name was changed to
Learjet Corporation. By January 1989 all production had been moved from the Tucson facility back to Wichita. The next year, 1990,
Bombardier AerospaceBombardier Aerospace is a division of Bombardier Inc.. It is the third largest aircraft company in the world in terms of yearly delivery of commercial airplanes overall, and the fourth largest in terms of yearly delivery of regional jets...
purchased the Learjet Corporation. The aircraft were then marketed as the "Bombardier Learjet Family".
On October 10, 1990, the
Learjet 60The Learjet 60 is an American business jet aircraft manufactured by Bombardier Aerospace at Wichita, Kansas. The Learjet 60 does not have the range for direct transoceanic flights from the United States, although it can cross the Atlantic from Newfoundland to the British Isles...
mid-sized aircraft flew its first flight, followed on October 7, 1995 by the
Learjet 45The Learjet 45 aircraft is a mid-sized business jet aircraft produced by Bombardier Aerospace.-History:The development of the LJ45 was announced by Bombardier in September, 1992, and first flight of the prototype aircraft took place on October 7, 1995, the 32nd anniversary of the first flight of...
.
In October 2007 Bombardier Learjet launched a brand new aircraft program, the
Learjet 85The Learjet 85 is the latest Learjet development program by aircraft manufacturer Bombardier Aerospace. The project was started on October 30, 2007 and the aircraft is expected to be unveiled in the first quarter of 2009. The Learjet 85 fits between the midsize and the super midsize segments of...
. It was the first FAR Part-25 all composite business aircraft.
On October 7, 2008, Bombardier celebrated Learjet's historic 45th anniversary of the first flight ever by a Learjet. As a way to commemorate this, Bombardier Business aircraft (a division of Bombardier inc.) decided to launch the Year of Learjet campaign, a year long celebration to honor Learjet's contribution as a pioneer to the private business jet industry. One of the most memorable event to mark this celebration occurred at the
Farnborough Air ShowThe Farnborough International Airshow is a seven-day international trade fair for the aerospace business which is held biennially in Hampshire, England...
, when
Formula OneFormula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1, and currently officially referred to as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" in the name refers to a set of rules to which all participants...
prodigy
Lewis HamiltonLewis Carl Davidson Hamilton MBE is a British Formula One racing driver from England, currently racing for the McLaren Mercedes team and is the youngest ever Formula One World Champion...
raced a Learjet and won.
Aircraft
- Learjet 23
The Learjet 23 is an American six to eight seat twin-engined, high speed business jet. Manufactured by Learjet, the LJ23 was revolutionary in the aviation world.-History:...
– (Lear Jet)
- Learjet 24
The Learjet 24 is an American six to eight seat twin-engined, high speed business jet. Manufactured by Learjet as the successor to the Lear Jet 23.-History:...
– (Lear Jet & Gates Learjet)
- Learjet 25
The Learjet 25 is an American ten seat twin-engined, high speed business jet aircraft. Manufactured by Learjet as a stretched version of the Learjet 24.-Development:...
– (Lear Jet & Gates Learjet)
- Learjet 28
The Learjet 28 is an American eight to ten seat , twin-engined, high speed business jet, intended to be the successor to the Learjet 25. The Learjet 29 is identical except for the addition of a long-range fuel tank, resulting in the reduction of the capacity to six...
– (Gates Learjet)
- Learjet 29
The Learjet 28 is an American eight to ten seat , twin-engined, high speed business jet, intended to be the successor to the Learjet 25. The Learjet 29 is identical except for the addition of a long-range fuel tank, resulting in the reduction of the capacity to six...
– (Gates Learjet)
- Learjet 31 – (Lear Jet & Gates Learjet)
- Learjet 35 – (Learjet, Gates Learjet & Shin Meiwa). Known as the C-21 in U.S. Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare branch of the U.S. armed forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on 18 September 1947 under the National Security Act of 1947 - 80 P.L....
service.
- Learjet 36 – (Gates Learjet). Basically a Learjet 35 with increased range. This increase is possible through the removal of two seats for an extra fuel tank.
- Learjet 40
The Learjet 40 is a light business jet produced by Bombardier Aerospace.-Design and development:The Learjet 40 is derived from the Learjet 45, but with a shorter fuselage , and is powered by two Honeywell TFE731-20AR engines...
– (Learjet)
- Learjet 45
The Learjet 45 aircraft is a mid-sized business jet aircraft produced by Bombardier Aerospace.-History:The development of the LJ45 was announced by Bombardier in September, 1992, and first flight of the prototype aircraft took place on October 7, 1995, the 32nd anniversary of the first flight of...
– (Learjet)
- Learjet 55
The Learjet 55 "Longhorn" is a business jet manufactured by Gates Learjet. The introduction of the Learjet 50 series occurred at the 1977 Paris air show. The winglets on the Learjet 55 were developed by NASA...
– (Gates Learjet)
- Learjet 60
The Learjet 60 is an American business jet aircraft manufactured by Bombardier Aerospace at Wichita, Kansas. The Learjet 60 does not have the range for direct transoceanic flights from the United States, although it can cross the Atlantic from Newfoundland to the British Isles...
– (Learjet)
- Learjet 85
The Learjet 85 is the latest Learjet development program by aircraft manufacturer Bombardier Aerospace. The project was started on October 30, 2007 and the aircraft is expected to be unveiled in the first quarter of 2009. The Learjet 85 fits between the midsize and the super midsize segments of...
- (Learjet)
See also
- Short Brothers
Short Brothers plc is a British aerospace company, usually referred to simply as Shorts, that is now based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Founded in 1908, Shorts was the first true aviation company in the world, and was a manufacturer of flying boats during the 1920s and 1930s and throughout the...
- Canadair
Canadair was a civil and military aircraft manufacturer in Canada. It was the subsidiary of other aircraft manufacturers and a nationalized corporation until privatized in 1986, and became the core of Bombardier Aerospace....
- de Havilland Canada
The de Havilland Canada company was an aircraft manufacturer with facilities based in what is now the Downsview area of Toronto, Ontario, Canada...
- Bombardier Aerospace
Bombardier Aerospace is a division of Bombardier Inc.. It is the third largest aircraft company in the world in terms of yearly delivery of commercial airplanes overall, and the fourth largest in terms of yearly delivery of regional jets...
External links