,LEARJET IS THE NAME THAT BECAME A NOUN4 ,FOUNDED BY ELECTRONICS ENTREPRENEUR ,WILLIAM ;,P4 ,LEAR IN #AIFB1 THE COMPANY BUILT THE FIRST PURPOSE-DESIGNED BUSINESS JET THE ,LEAR ,JET #BC AND MADE THE PRIVATE JET AN OBJECT OF PUBLIC IMAGINATION3 A MACHINE SO FAST1 SO GLAMOROUS1 AND SO IDENTIFIED WITH WEALTH THAT 8A ,LEARJET0 ENTERED THE LANGUAGE AS SHORTHAND FOR ANY EXECUTIVE AIRCRAFT4 ,BETWEEN THE FIRST FLIGHT OF THE ,MODEL #BC IN ,OCTOBER #AIFC AND THE FINAL DELIVERY IN ,MARCH #BJBB1 ,LEARJET PRODUCED MORE THAN #C1JJJ AIRCRAFT IN ,WICHITA1 ,KANSAS THROUGH FOUR OWNERS1 THIRTEEN CERTIFIED MODELS1 AND NEARLY SIXTY YEARS OF CONTINUOUS PRODUCTION1 THE LONGEST RUN OF ANY BUSINESS-JET MARQUE4 ,ORIGINS A FIGHTER WING AND A RADIO SALESMAN ,BILL ,LEAR HAD ALREADY MADE TWO FORTUNES WHEN HE TURNED TO AIRCRAFT FIRST IN ELECTRONICS "4 ,IN THE LATE #AIEJ;S HE CONCEIVED A SMALL1 FAST JET FOR BUSINESS TRAVEL1 AND RATHER THAN DESIGN A WING FROM SCRATCH HE BOUGHT THE AERODYNAMICS OF THE ,,FFA ;,P-#AF1 A ,SWISS GROUND-ATTACK FIGHTER WHOSE PROGRAM HAD BEEN CANCELLED A WING ALREADY ENGINEERED FOR HIGH PERFORMANCE AT SMALL SCALE4 ,HE RELOCATED THE PROJECT TO ,WICHITA IN #AIFB1 DRAWN BY ,KANSAS'S DEEP POOL OF AIRCRAFT WORKERS AND1 IN ,LEAR'S OWN ACCOUNT1 BY A ,KANSAS TAX STRUCTURE FRIENDLIER TO FACTORIES4 ,THE ,LEAR ,JET #BC FIRST FLEW ON #G ,OCTOBER #AIFC AND EARNED ,,FAA CERTIFICATION ON #CA ,JULY #AIFD REMARKABLY FAST EVEN BY THE ERA'S STANDARDS4 ,IT WAS A REVELATION3 A SIX-TO-EIGHT-SEAT JET THAT CRUISED NEAR ,MACH #J4H1 OUTRAN THE AIRLINERS OF ITS DAY1 AND CLIMBED AT FIGHTER-LIKE RATES MARKETING OF THE PERIOD CLAIMED IT COULD OUTCLIMB AN ;,F-#AJJ ,SUPER ,SABRE TO #AJ1JJJ FEET4 ,THE ,MODEL #BC SET A STRING OF ,,FAI SPEED RECORDS AND EFFECTIVELY INVENTED THE LIGHT BUSINESS JET AS A CATEGORY2 ,CESSNA'S ,CITATION AND EVERY COMPETITOR SINCE HAS BEEN ANSWERING IT4 ,THE EARLY FAMILY "9 ,LEAR ,JET #BC THE ORIGINAL3 TWIN ,GENERAL ,ELECTRIC ,,CJ#FAJ TURBOJETS1 #F#H SEATS1 @9#EJJ MPH "9 ,LEAR ,JET #BD REFINED #AIFF SUCCESSOR WITH IMPROVED SYSTEMS AND HIGHER WEIGHTS "9 ,LEAR ,JET #BE STRETCHED #BD2 THE FIRST BIG-SELLING FAMILY VARIANT "9 ,LEARJET #BH_/#BI 8,LONGHORN0 INTRODUCED #AIGG2 THE FIRST PRODUCTION JETS IN THE WORLD TO FLY WITH WINGLETS1 USING ,,NASA RESEARCH ON INDUCED DRAG TO ADD RANGE AND HOT-AND-HIGH PERFORMANCE ,THE ,GATES ERA ,LEARJET GROWS UP ,LEAR SOLD THE COMPANY TO ,GATES ,RUBBER IN #AIFG AND THE MARQUE BECAME ,GATES ,LEARJET THE PERIOD WHEN 8,LEARJET0 CEMENTED ITSELF AS THE GENERIC WORD FOR A BUSINESS JET4 ,GATES FUNDED REAL ENGINEERING3 THE ,LEARJET #CE_/#CF " REPLACED THE TEMPERAMENTAL ,,CJ#FAJ TURBOJETS WITH ,GARRETT ,,TFE#GCA TURBOFANS1 DRAMATICALLY CUTTING NOISE AND FUEL BURN2 THE ,,USAF LATER BOUGHT EIGHTY OF THEM AS THE ;,C-#BA;,A AIRLIFT TRAINER AND OPERATIONAL-SUPPORT AIRCRAFT4 ,THE ,LEARJET #EE " GREW THE FUSELAGE INTO A TRUE MID-SIZE CABIN4 ,IN ,MAY #AIGF1 GOLFER ,ARNOLD ,PALMER SET A ROUND-THE-WORLD SPEED RECORD IN A ,LEARJET #CF #EG HOURS1 #BE MINUTES THE KIND OF PUBLICITY MONEY CAN'T BUY AND ,GATES DIDN'T HAVE TO4 ,THE BOOM TURNED IN THE #AIHJ;S3 A COLLAPSED BIZJET MARKET AND A DEBT-LADEN LEVERAGED BUYOUT PUT ,GATES ,LEARJET THROUGH FINANCIAL RESTRUCTURING1 AND AFTER A BRIEF SPELL UNDER NEW OWNERS AS ,LEARJET ,INC41 THE COMPANY WAS ACQUIRED BY ,CANADA'S ,BOMBARDIER IN #AIIJ4 ,THE ,BOMBARDIER ERA ,UNDER ,BOMBARDIER1 ,LEARJET BECAME THE LIGHT END OF A THREE-BRAND BUSINESS-AIRCRAFT EMPIRE "3 "9 ,LEARJET #DE CERTIFIED #AIIG2 THE FIRST ALL-NEW ,LEARJET DESIGN SINCE THE #AIFJ;S1 WITH A NEW FUSELAGE AND WING "9 ,LEARJET #FJ CERTIFIED ,JANUARY #AIIC2 A STRETCHED1 ,,PW#CJE;,A-POWERED DEVELOPMENT OF THE #EE1 BUILT THROUGH #BJAB " "9 ,LEARJET #DJ CERTIFIED #BJJC2 A SHORTENED #DE "9 ,LEARJET #GJ_/#GE ANNOUNCED #BJJH2 UPDATED #DJ_/#DE VARIANTS WITH ,GARMIN ,G#EJJJ AVIONICS ONLY THE #GE WAS CERTIFIED "<#BJAC"> "9 ,LEARJET #HE THE GREAT MIGHT-HAVE-BEEN3 AN ALL-COMPOSITE MID-SIZE ANNOUNCED IN #BJJG1 FIRST FLOWN ,APRIL #BJAD1 THEN SUSPENDED IN EARLY #BJAE AMID WEAK SALES AND NEVER REVIVED ,ON #AA ,FEBRUARY #BJBA ,BOMBARDIER ANNOUNCED THE END OF ,LEARJET PRODUCTION1 FOLDING THE LINE TO CONCENTRATE ON ,CHALLENGER AND ,GLOBAL AIRCRAFT2 THE LAST ,LEARJET BUILT A ,MODEL #GE WAS DELIVERED ON #BH ,MARCH #BJBB1 ENDING FIFTY-NINE YEARS OF CONTINUOUS PRODUCTION IN ,WICHITA4 ,THE PLANT CONTINUES AS A ,BOMBARDIER SERVICE AND SUPPORT CENTER FOR THE SEVERAL HUNDRED ,LEARJETS STILL FLYING WORLDWIDE4 ,THE ,LEARJET #FJ ..> ,THE ,LEARJET #FJ1 THE TYPE INVOLVED IN THE ,NOVEMBER #BJBF ,GREENACRES CRASH1 IS THE DEFINITIVE LATE-MODEL ,LEARJET3 A MID-SIZE TWIN DERIVED FROM THE #EE WITH A STRETCHED FUSELAGE AND TWO ,PRATT @& ,WHITNEY ,CANADA ,,PW#CJE;,A TURBOFANS OF #D1FJJ POUNDS OF THRUST EACH4 ,IT SEATS TWO CREW PLUS UP TO EIGHT PASSENGERS1 CRUISES NEAR ,MACH #J4H AT #DA1JJJ#EA1JJJ FEET1 AND OFFERS ROUGHLY #B1DJJ NAUTICAL MILES OF RANGE ENOUGH FOR TRANSCONTINENTAL ,U4,S4 LEGS AND1 AS ITS FINAL OPERATOR PLANNED1 ,TEXAS-TO-,BAHAMAS CHARTERS4 ,,FAA CERTIFICATION CAME IN ,JANUARY #AIIC2 APPROXIMATELY #DCJ WERE BUILT BETWEEN #AIIC AND #BJAB1 AND THE TYPE REMAINS COMMON IN ,PART #ACE CHARTER AND AIR-AMBULANCE FLEETS4 ,THE ,LEARJET FAMILY'S SPEED AND THIN-WING PERFORMANCE MADE THEM DEMANDING AIRCRAFT TO FLY WELL3 EARLY ,LEARJETS EARNED A REPUTATION FOR UNFORGIVING HANDLING NEAR THE EDGES OF THE ENVELOPE A WING OPTIMIZED FOR ,MACH EFFICIENCY1 NOT LOW-SPEED MANNERS WHICH IS WHY THE TYPE HISTORICALLY REQUIRED EXPERIENCED1 TYPE-RATED CREWS AND WHY THE ,,NTSB TREATS EVERY ,LEARJET ACCIDENT AS DATA ON A STORIED BUT EXACTING DESIGN4 ,IN THE CULTURE ,NO AIRCRAFT NAME DID WHAT 8,LEARJET0 DID4 ,WITHIN A DECADE OF THE ,MODEL #BC1 THE WORD HAD DETACHED ITSELF FROM THE COMPANY AND BECOME THE UNIVERSAL SHORTHAND FOR PRIVATE FLIGHT EXECUTIVES DIDN'T FLY BUSINESS JETS1 THEY 8FLEW IN A ,LEARJET40 ,CARLY ,SIMON'S 8,YOU'RE ,SO ,VAIN0 "<#AIGB"> FIXED THE ASSOCIATION IN POP MUSIC FOR A GENERATION3 8YOU FLEW YOUR ,LEARJET UP TO ,NOVA ,SCOTIA TO SEE THE TOTAL ECLIPSE OF THE SUN40 ,FRANK ,SINATRA WAS AN EARLY AND FAMOUS CUSTOMER2 THE TYPE BECAME A FIXTURE OF CELEBRITY AIRFIELDS AND THE VISUAL SHORTHAND OF ARRIVING RICH4 ,LEGACY ,LEARJET'S REAL PRODUCT WAS THE CATEGORY IT CREATED4 ,EVERY LIGHT JET SINCE ,CESSNA ,CITATIONS1 ,EMBRAER ,PHENOMS1 ,HONDA,JETS1 ,PILATUS ,,PC-#BD;S COMPETES IN THE MARKET ,BILL ,LEAR INVENTED IN A ,WICHITA HANGAR IN #AIFC4 ,MORE THAN THREE THOUSAND AIRFRAMES LATER1 THE MARQUE'S PRODUCTION IS FINISHED BUT ITS FLEET IS NOT3 SEVERAL HUNDRED ,LEARJETS REMAIN IN DAILY SERVICE1 SUPPORTED BY ,BOMBARDIER'S ,WICHITA OPERATION1 AND THE NAME STILL OUTRUNS THE COMPANY THAT MADE IT4 ,SEE ALSO "9 #BJBF ,GREENACRES ,LEARJET CRASH "9 ,IN MEMORIAM THE NINE LOST ABOARD ,N#GBB;,,BD ,MEDIA CREDITS3 ,LEARJET #FJ PHOTOGRAPH ,CORY ;,W4 ,WATTS "<,,CC ,,BY-,,SA #B4J">2 ,LEAR ,JET #BC MUSEUM PHOTOGRAPH ,MICHAEL ,BARERA "<,,CC ,,BY-,,SA #D4J">2 ,N#GBB;,,BD PHOTOGRAPH ,FREDERICK ,TREMBLAY _/ ,JET,PHOTOS "<,,CC#J">4