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History
Few brand names conjure the mystique and excitement that Learjet does. A bold symbol of power, freedom, success, and confidence — an enduring American icon — it is an example of what inspiration, determination, and ingenuity can achieve.
The first Learjet aircraft was more than just the brainchild of innovator and self-made millionaire Bill Lear. It was his passion, and he ignited the same fire in everyone who worked on his seemingly impossible project. Under ordinary circumstances — and under the direction of a less extraordinary man — building the kind of aircraft Bill Lear had in mind would take far more time and money than he had to invest. To succeed, he would skip the prototype phase and go right into production, a daring strategy that left no room for error.
Lear hovered over his engineering team, who stopped only to eat and sleep. Their efforts paid off. Late in the day on October 7, 1963, just before the sun slipped below the prairie horizon, the first Learjet 23 took off for the first time in Wichita, Kansas. Its pilots knew instantly that they had a winner. The sleek jet flew like a dream. Its systems performed flawlessly, and it accelerated on takeoff faster than any jet — civilian or military — that either pilot had ever flown.
Over the years, Bill Lear’s company changed hands several times and ultimately found itself facing an uncertain future. Then, on June 29, 1990, it was acquired by global transportation giant Bombardier Inc. Founded by inventor and entrepreneur J. Armand Bombardier in 1942, Bombardier’s heritage of innovation and savvy risk-taking made it a natural new home for Learjet. Here was a kindred spirit, one with the resources to put Learjet back on track and energize its product development program. Today, Bombardier is the world’s third-largest civil aviation manufacturer, surpassed only by Airbus and Boeing.
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