The development of the original Lear model 23 weaves the story of a self-taught engineer and entrepreneur, a Swiss fighter prototype, and a design that proved to be the right airplane at the right time.
Baby boomers will remember a time when the sight of any small business jet would be described as a Learjet. Carly Simon sang, “You flew your Learjet up to Nova Scotia” in her iconic No. 1 hit song, “You’re So Vain.” And to top it off, singer Frank Sinatra regularly flew his “Rat Pack” buddies to the Las Vegas strip by Learjet and loaned his Lear 23 to Elvis and Priscilla Presley so they could elope. However, nothing lasts forever, and sadly, the last Learjet was delivered to longtime Lear operator Northern Jet in late March 2022.
So how did this revolution begin?
The story of the original Lear 23 is really the story of William Powell Lear. Bill Lear was a self-taught engineer with a high school education. However, he never let his lack of academic credentials slow him down. He was brilliant, occasionally difficult to work with, and restless for new ideas. While many associate Bill Lear with the entire Learjet line, in fact he was only directly associated with the first three Learjet models.
The beautiful little jet that emerged copied the wings, fuel tanks, and main landing gear from the P-16 [lightweight fighter project in Switzerland]
As 1960 approached, Lear,…
Source www.planeandpilotmag.com
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