• Lear Jets history in private aviation
• Deep dive into the most popular Lear Jet model the Lear Jet 40

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LearJet was one of the first companies manufacturing private aircrafts. In 1990, the Canadian aviation company Bombardier Aerospace purchased the Learjet corporation and the jets were renamed as the “Bombardier Learjet Family.” Learjet started out of Kansas with over 3,200 employees. Even though there were multiple aircraft companies located in Kansas, Learjet was the most prominent. Even though the company started in 2013, the company is still located in the same location in Wichita, Kansas and is currently getting ready to be renovated by expanding the flight test center.

The Learjet 40 is a light business jet produced by Bombardier Aerospace. This jet is powered by two Honeywell TFE731-20AR engines. These are known as the “AR” engines. The 40 model takes the place of discontinued light Learjet 31A in the Learjet model line, with several welcome performance and comfort improvements taken from the 45 model. The Learjet 40XR is an upgraded version introduced in 2004 offering high takeoff weights, faster cruise speeds and a faster time-to-climb rate as compared to the Learjet 40. This increase was due to the upgrade in engines to the TFE731-20BR engine. The Learjet 45 has retractable tricycle-type landing gear. The single nose wheel has steer-by-wire control and retracts forward. The twin wheel main landing gear units retract inwards and are fitted with anti-skid multiple-disc brakes.

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