 |  |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  | |  |
|
|
Achievements
Both a productivity tool and a hot rod, the Learjet won over the aviation world and captured the public’s imagination virtually overnight. Proving it was more than mere media hype, the Learjet soon began establishing performance records.
For example, in December 1965, with seven people on board, the Learjet 23 set a time-to-climb record, reaching an altitude of 40,000 feet in a blistering 7 minutes, 21 seconds — faster than an F-100 fighter jet.
In 1979, astronaut Neil Armstrong and a Learjet test pilot set five world records for business jets in a Learjet Longhorn 28. In 1983, the first midsize Learjet, the Learjet 55, set another world speed record, flying from Los Angeles to Paris in 12 hours, 37 minutes with one refueling stop. When Canada-based Bombardier Inc. acquired Learjet in 1990, the company immediately embarked on a plan to propel Learjet aircraft to greater heights. Within months, the new Bombardier Learjet 60 was on the drawing board. This midsize business jet would bring important innovations to the cockpit, set a new industry standard as the world’s quietest business jet, and fly more people faster and farther than any aircraft in its class.
More ambitious dreams were already afoot, and Bombardier soon began developing the first totally new Learjet design since the Model 23. Dubbed the Bombardier Learjet 45 aircraft and launched in 1992, it was the world’s first “paperless” business jet, designed entirely on the computer screen.
|
||