It is almost the end of the line for one of the most famous names in business aviation, or in the aerospace industry, with the news that Bombardier manufacturer is ending production of the Learjet this year. It is a blow to the company’s Wichita-based workforce of 1,500 employees, which will be reduced as a result, and also draws the curtain on what may be the most well-known bizjet in the world.
“With more than 3,000 aircraft delivered since entering service in 1963, the iconic Learjet aircraft had a notable and lasting impact on business aviation, ”said Éric Martel, President and CEO of Bombardier, in a statement today. “However, given the increasingly challenging market dynamics, we made this difficult decision to end Learjet production.”
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The 75 Liberty model will now be the final production Learjet.
The most significant effect of the decision, which appears to have been influenced by changes in market trends, which include much more competition in the light jet segment, as well as the current COVID-19 pandemic, will be felt by the Montreal-company workforce. thirsty.
In Wichita, some 250 employees can expect to lose their jobs in the next 12 months, as soon as Learjet production is reduced starting this fall. There is still the possibility that some of them could be relocated to functions in other parts of the company, but that would involve “collective bargaining” with Bombardier, according to the Wichita Eagle newspaper.
These job losses, however, are, unfortunately, only a fraction of those likely across the company as it restructures, weathering the storm that COVID-19 caused in the broader commercial aerospace industries. In all, it is estimated that 1,600 jobs are lost across the company, about half of them in Canada.
However, while most of those job losses are white collar and office jobs, the situation is different in Wichita, where the majority of those at risk are the factory workers responsible for building the Learjets.
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The first Learjets are awaiting delivery in the airfield of the factory in Wichita.
Martel described the reductions in the workforce as “absolutely necessary to rebuild our company while continuing to navigate through the pandemic.”
Among the changes taking effect, in addition to a lean workforce, is a greater focus on service provision, while manufacturing efforts in the bizjet segment will focus on the Challenger and Global Express aircraft families. Both series offer considerably greater potential for growth and development and are, however, much more popular with customers.
That said, the decision does not take away from the incredible legacy that Learjet has established. It is almost surprising to think that Learjet’s first prototype flew in Wichita on October 7, 1963.
It was part of the first generation of bizjets, but, surprisingly, its design was inspired by the Swiss FFA P-16 single-seat fighter that William P. “Bill” Lear encountered after retiring in Switzerland in the late 1950s. 16 never been ordered in quantity, the Swiss-American Aircraft Corporation Learjet 23, as it was originally known, has become a success story.
Paebi / Wikmedia Commons
The P-16 jet fighter that inspired the Learjet’s wing design.
Fast, elegant in appearance and capable of being operated by a single pilot, the Learjet 23 was powered by a pair of General Electric CJ610 turbojets – a non-combustion adaptation of the J85 engine used in the T-38 Talon jet trainer – and quickly won orders. The new bizjet boasted a higher initial climb rate than the F-100 Super Saber jet fighter and the highest cruising altitude of any aircraft in its class.
San Diego Air and Space Museum Archive
Learjet’s father, William P. “Bill” Lear.
Other features included manual flight controls, but motorized spoilers, a T-tail and a fuselage just 62 inches wide and 54 inches tall. In 1965, the manufacturer, then called Lear Jet Corporation, began work on the Learjet 24, with increased maximum takeoff weight, which flew for the first time on February 24, 1966.
NASA
A Learjet 23, on the left, along with a Cessna T-37, both used by NASA as pursuit aircraft in 1974.
On its way to the bizjet’s ubiquity, the Learjet soon became the choice of many of the rich and famous. Frank Sinatra swapped his French Morane-Saulnier MS.760 Paris Jet for a brand new Learjet 23 in 1965. He loaned the jet to Elvis Presley when he and Priscilla Beaulieu flew to Las Vegas to get married in 1967. The same plane also flew with Sammy Davis Jr and Marlon Brando to Mississippi to join Martin Luther King Jr on a freedom march.
Ultimately, the cultural capital enjoyed by Learjet was so great that, in the early 1980s, the company itself claimed that its aircraft had appeared in more films and TV shows than any other aircraft in history. Whether this is true or not, he certainly enjoyed his fair share of iconic moments, including the final montage scene of Mad Men:
In 1966, Lear Jet Corporation was acquired by Gates Rubber Company, becoming Gates Learjet Corp. In the same year, the Learjet 25 was extended, with a capacity for 10 people in a 50% larger cabin and slightly reduced range. Next came the Learjet 28 and Learjet 29 Longhorn, of which only a few were produced, but they were the first in the family to add winglets for greater efficiency. Now a familiar feature in many commercial projects, winglets developed by NASA were used for the first time on these aircraft. Between 1964 and 1982, 105 Learjet 23s, 255 Learjet 24s and 368 Learjet 25s were delivered.
NASA
The Learjet 28 and 29 were the first production bizjets to feature winglets.
With the Learjet 35 eight-seater launched in 1973, customers can now receive all the benefits of the most economical and quietest Garrett TFE731 turbofan engines, replacing previous turbojets. The six-seat Learjet 36 was offered alongside it, and both had slightly larger wings and a slightly longer fuselage. The Learjet 35 has also become a favorite of the United States Air Force, which acquired it under the military designation C-21. Meanwhile, it was a Learjet 36 that golfer Arnold Palmer used to set a new world record in 1976, covering a distance of 22,984 miles in 57 hours, 25 minutes and 42 seconds. When production ceased in the mid-1990s, more than 730 copies of the Learjet 35/36 were sold.
Tomás Del Coro / Wikimedia Commons
A C-21 – a Learjet 35 of the US Air Force – operated by the Connecticut National Air Guard.
In the meantime, the 10-seat Learjet 55 was added to the family, along with the seven-seat Learjet 55LR, the long-range Learjet 55XLR and the Learjet 55B with a modern glass cockpit, introduced in 1986. This series was the first in that passengers were able to stand in the cabin and also added the downward-sloping “delta fins” features in the rear fuselage. A total of 147 of the different Learjet 55 models were built until 1992.
Eddie Maloney / Wikimedia Commons
A privately operated Learjet 55 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
It was in 1990 that Bombardier acquired the Learjet line after Gates began to face financial difficulties. The acquisition initially saw bizjets built under the Learjet Inc. brand, and the new Canadian owner launched a new line of designs to ensure success in the 1990s and beyond.
The Learjet 31 combined the Learjet 55’s wing with the Learjet 35’s eight-seater fuselage and was the first of the “next generation” Learjets. By the time the Learjet 31A came on the scene in 1991, the bizjet now had a fully integrated Bendix / King electronic instrumentation system with five screens in the cabin and a maximum speed of Mach 0.81.
Kambui / Wikimedia Commons
A TAG Aviation Learjet 31 in Geneva.
The Learjet 60, which flew for the first time in 1990, was a replacement for the Learjet 55 and was the largest Learjet to date, with a capacity for 12 people, and Pratt & Whitney Canada PW300
turbofans.
AP
Visitors look at a Learjet 60XR at an air show in Hong Kong.
The first in the line to be designed entirely on computers, the Learjet 45, seats 10-11 and marked the first entirely new addition to the family since the original Learjet 23. The reduced version is the Learjet 40, which replaced the Learjet 31 on the Wichita production line from 2002.
redlegsfan21 / Wikimedia Commons
A Learjet 45 lands at Montana’s Billings Logan International Airport.
The last in the line will now be the Learjet 70 and Learjet 75, known as Liberty, which started to be delivered in 2013. Learjet 40/45 aircraft are essentially updated, with the latest equipment, including touchscreen-controlled Garmin avionics and modern interiors. luxurious.
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The interior of the Learjet Liberty 75 cabin.
The familiar Learjet is not going to disappear from our skies anytime soon, however. With that in mind, Bombardier announced a remanufacturing program for Learjet 40 and Learjet 45 aircraft, known as Learjet RACER. This is also part of the company’s growing focus on providing services to existing customers.
The Learjet must also have many more years of service in the hands of contractors who provide services to different armed forces around the world, with the Learjet having established itself, in particular, as a popular choice for opposing air support, including electronic warfare and towing. of target. Other examples are still doing very well in radar mapping tasks and have even been used as artists at air shows.
The RACER process will include improvements to internal and external components, advanced avionics, high-speed connectivity, improved engines and reduced maintenance costs. “The site will be busy,” Martel told reporters. “Wichita will continue to be a privileged location for Bombardier.”
That welcome decision should also help keep the remaining workforce in Wichita busy as they continue to work on the many existing Learjet aircraft that remain in use in North America and beyond.
Contact the author: thomas@thedrive.com