When someone spoke of a business jet in the 1960s, it was clear which one they meant: the legendary Learjet 23. The American company of William “Bill” Lear, now part of the Canadian Bombardier Group, had developed the six-seater from 1960 onwards. A Learjet always looks incredibly sleek. Its cockpit window, which is pulled far back, is characteristic and gives it optimal “ramp presence”, i.e. admiration on the apron. No wonder, then, that show greats like Frank Sinatra immediately bought Learjets in 1965.
They have the same prestige in aviation as Ferrari has in automobiles. They are considered to be extremely fast, absolutely shapely and sporty to move. However, a Learjet has design disadvantages: it offers the passengers relatively little space in its cabin and no headroom, since everything is subordinate to aerodynamics.
It was no longer of any use
This is probably one of the reasons why competitors such as Cessna with its Citation series, the Brazilian company Embraer with the Phenom models or, more recently, the Swiss company Pilatus Aircraft with their PC-24 have been putting the Learjet more and more behind. The twin engines of the competition offer more economical turbines, often more comfort on board and more modern cockpit equipment and infotainment systems. That is why only eleven of the current Learjet 70 or 75 models were built in 2020, and the number continued to shrink last year. Far too little for economical series production. Bombardier, Learjet’s parent company since 1990, produced the last machine in the spring after a total of more than 3000 units, which has now been delivered to a customer. This special model, known as the Lear 75 Liberty and capable of speeds of up to 860 km/h, was already significantly reduced in price and should actually boost sales. Therefore, instead of $13 million for the slightly trimmed-down jet for up to eight passengers, the price tag was just under $10 million. It was no longer of any use.
For many aircraft fans, the sleek Learjet always looked a bit like a shrunken fighter jet. That’s not even an exaggeration, because the wings of all early Lear models of the 23 to 25 series actually come from a military jet – one from Switzerland. Around 70 years ago, the development of a federal combat aircraft was advanced at Flug- und Fahrzeugwerke Altenrhein near St. Gallen on Lake Constance. This machine, known as the P-16, was one of the first Swiss developments in the military jet sector. In 1952 the construction of two prototypes was approved. In the spring of 1955, the first P-16 began taxiing tests and shortly thereafter its maiden flight. Switzerland wants a kind of jack of all trades as an airplane. This goes wrong. The P-16 proves inferior to other models, and two prototypes crash. The project is stopped.
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