“It started an industry and was the chariot of choice in the booming 1960s - made for the Mad Men of the day.”
During its heydays in the 1960s to 1980s, Learjet can be said to have created the business jet market. Remembered as an icon, Learjet was once synonymous with private jet travel for the super-rich and famous, notable owners include Elvis Presly, Frank Sinatra, and Arnold Palmer. This year, we have come to the end of an era with the last Learjet 75 production in March, a decision was made by parent company Bombardier. As we say goodbye to the brand this article serves as a reminder for why Learjet should never be forgotten.
Origins
Founded in 1962 by Bill Lear, Learjet’s first model was the Learjet 23, a six-passenger aircraft that took to the skies for the first time on 7 October 1963. This was followed by 6, 8-passenger models, which included the likes of Learjet 24s, 25s, 31s, and 25s.
In 1990, Learjet came under Bombardier’s acquisition and moved on to develop the Learjet 40s, 45s, 60s, 70s, and 75s. However, since 2015, the only model left in production was the Learjet 75, which was also the final model produced before the production line closed.
Fun fact: The 2019 launch of the Learjet 75 Liberty was the only variant of the Learjet 75. Designed to be more affordable, the Liberty model had 6 seats instead of 8, and cost almost $4 million less than the original Learjet 75.
During its six-decade run, more than 3000 Learjets have been built in Wichita, Learjet’s main production site. The day of Learjet’s production line closure, former local workers were invited and they reminisced about the times when they realized they were building planes the world's elite had to have.
“We used to have movie stars coming from all over and touring the plant. And, they wanted to sit in the cockpit and feel like they were part of it.”
The Celebrity Choice
Learjet was loved by many famous individuals, Frank Sinatra was one of the first owners of a Learjet 23, and his favored private jet was even used to film acrobatic aerial scenes in Top Gun, featuring Tom Cruise.
Then we have Arnold Palmer, the legendary golf player, and long-standing advocate for business aviation, he had a Learjet 35 in his business jet fleet.
Palmer had a momentous achievement in May 1976, him and two other pilots set a round-the-world speed record by taking off from Denver’s Stapleton International Airport in a Learjet 36 and heading east, circling the globe in under 58 hours. The record flight included brief refueling stops in Boston, Wales, Paris, Tehran, Sri Lanka, Jakarta, Manila, Wake Island and Honolulu.
Fun fact: All of Palmer’s business jets had his name, and his signature multi-coloured umbrella on his business jet’s exterior.
Iconic models - A unique design
Arnold Palmer had to accredit his speedy round-the-world trip to the Learjet 35’s unique design, it had not two, not three, but five fuel tanks, which meant that Palmer did not have to make as many refuel stops. The Learjet 35 had 2 tip tanks, 2 wing tanks, and 1 fuselage tank. This was one of the few jets that had a fuel tank on the wingtip, also known as a tip tank, this provided additional fuel capacity to enable longer flight time. The Learjet 25 also shared this unique design.
Fun fact: 175 gallons of fuel could be stored in each tip tank, that is enough fuel for 4.5 Cessna 172s, so if you combine the fuel from both tip tanks alone, there is enough fuel for 9 Cessna 172s
The end of an era
So why has this iconic brand come to an end? Unfortunately, 90% of Bombardier’s business jet revenue is generated by the sales of Challengers and Globals, Learjet models were situated in a more competitive market and it was no longer a smart investment for Bombardier to continue with its production.
Learjet models are on the smaller size, and wealthy buyers are increasingly looking for jets with larger cabins, like General Dynamics' Gulfstream, the Embraer Phenom 100 and Bombardier's own Global series.
However, don’t fret. While Learjet models would no longer be in production, there are still more than 2000 aircrafts in service, just reach out to the APERTUS Aviation team to charter a Learjet aircraft and enjoy a ride in the original business jet for celebrities. Learjet is also not entirely forgotten. The Witchita production site is set to become a Learjet ‘Centre of Excellence’, not only will it specialize in servicing the remaining 2000 Learjets in service, Challengers and Globals can be serviced at the site as well.
