Learjet

Bombardier Learjet
legal form	Corporation under US law
founding	1962
resolution	June 29, 1990
Reason for dissolution	takeover
Seat	Wichita , United States
Branch	Aviation, aircraft manufacturer

Learjet is the trademark of a family of twin-engine corporate jet aircraft . The Learjets have been manufactured under the management of Bombardier since 1990 . The Bombardier subsidiary in Wichita (Kansas) trades as Learjet Inc. Before that, the aircraft manufacturer had a number of company names , with the aim of all of these companies to manufacture small jet aircraft .

history

1962-1969

Learjet 24, NASA's Lear Jet Observatory

Learjet 25 at Cambridge Bay Airport (Canada)

Learjet 45

Learjet 60

At the end of the 1950s, the businessman William P. Lear developed a twin- engine business jet. He founded the Swiss American Aviation Corporation (SAAC) in Switzerland to produce and market his design . Lear's business jet was to be named SAAC-23 .

Since he saw better market opportunities for his development in the United States , Lear moved the company headquarters to Wichita , Kansas in 1962 . There, in February, the assembly of what is now called the Learjet , the Learjet No. 1 . The wing came from the planned Swiss FFA P-16 fighter aircraft .

In April 1963, the SAAC became the Lear Jet Corporation . The first prototype flew on October 7, 1963. A good year later, on October 13, 1964, the first series machine was delivered, a Learjet 23 . The model was well received by customers and was further developed. The Learjet 24 model was created in 1966 . This model was approved under the conditions of a traffic machine, a novelty for a business jet. The first flight of the Learjet 25 model also took place this year . On September 19, 1966, the company was renamed Lear Jet Industries Inc. after a good 100 machines had already been delivered.

The Gates Rubber Company joined Lear Jet Industries Inc. in 1967 to market the aircraft worldwide. That is why Gates Aviation was founded. The 200th machine was delivered on November 27, 1968.

William P. Lear left the company in 1969. He died on May 14, 1978 in Reno, Nevada .

1969-1987

In 1969 Lear Jet Industries Inc. and Gates Aviation merged to form Gates Learjet .

The Model 25 was equipped with Garrett AiResearch TFE731-2 turbines in 1972 . It was a turbofan engine that is much quieter and more economical than the engines previously used. Learjet also received approval to take off from unpaved slopes this year.

The new Learjet 35 model took off on its maiden flight on August 22, 1973. The following year, this type and the Learjet 36 received approval. In 1975 the 500th Learjet was delivered.

The new models of the types Learjet 24/25 received approval in 1977 to travel at a height of 15,545 meters, ie. 51,000 feet to operate. The first flight of the Learjet 28 took place on August 24 of the same year .

In 1979 the types Learjet 28/29 were approved. On April 19, the prototype of the completely new Learjet 54/55/56 series took off on its maiden flight. In 1980 the 1000th Learjet was delivered. In the years that followed, many detail improvements were made to the existing types. Versions with an extended range were created. In 1983, the United States Department of Defense ordered 80 Learjet 35 aircraft . A space department was founded, which was later awarded the contract to produce components for the solid fuel boosters of the space shuttle . In autumn 1984 the production of aircraft was temporarily stopped until the excessively large stocks were depleted. In 1986, new manufacturing facilities were moved into Tucson , Arizona and management relocated there. Then aircraft production in Tucson and Wichita was restarted.

In the fall of 1987, Integrated Acquisition, Inc. took control of Gates Learjet Corporation, and shortly thereafter the company was renamed Learjet Corporation . Production was moved back from Arizona to Kansas.

Since 1990

Learjet 75 ( V5-RON ) of the Namibian Government in Walvis Bay

On June 29, 1990, Bombardier Aerospace took over the Learjet Corporation. The current version of the Type 60, the Learjet 60 XR, had its maiden flight on April 3, 2006. FAA certification was granted on June 4, 2007, and commissioning began on July 30, 2007.

On June 16, 2006, models 45 and 60 were both sold for the 300th time. The 300th Learjet 45 went to the United States , the 300th Learjet 60 to Finland . In 2012, Bombardier introduced the successor models to the Learjet 40XR and 45XR as the Learjet 70 and 75.

The project of fiber composites manufactured Learjet 85 (temporary internal project name: Learjet NXT ) began on 30 October 2007. As this is a departure from the classic metal construction was, were made in all previous models, there was a new design. The development of the Learjet 85 was stopped in February 2015 due to a lack of demand.

Web links

Commons : Learjet  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Bombardier Learjet site (English)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Joint Operational Evaluation of EASA for the Learjet 60XR from August 8, 2007, PDF  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
2. ↑ Timeline of Learjet history ( Memento from May 25, 2017 in the Internet Archive )
3. ↑ Learjet 85 homepage ( Memento from December 27, 2010 in the Internet Archive )