Bombardier Still Claims Hot Rod Aura
For Its Trio of Three Versatile Learjets

It's been more than a decade since Bombardier acquired the name that's in many minds still synonymous with the private jet, and it's unlikely the Learjet name will ever go the way of Bombardier's Canadair and de Havilland brands.

The first Learjet-Lear Jet as Bill Lear had it-hit the market in 1964. It was the first business jet.
"Learjets are still the premier performers," says product manager Scott Wight.

Bombardier today offers the $6.5 million, six- to seven-passenger Learjet 31A, the $9.4 million, eight- to nine-passenger Learjet 45, and the $12 million, six- to 10-passenger, longer-range, wider-cabin Learjet 60.

The 31A boasts great flexibility, Wight says, and is especially suitable for European operators who tend to fly shorter distances. The 31A comes with Bendix/King avionics with five-screen EFIS. Enhanced GPWS and TCAS are optional. The 31A has Honeywell TFE731-2-4-3B engines.
The Learjet 45, Bombardier's first all-new Lear, is getting an MTOW boost of 800 pounds (to 21,300 pounds), allowing for full fuel with an eight-passenger load. "Our plane's going to fly 400 nautical miles further than the ($9.7 million Citation) Excel, which is our main competition," Wight told Show News.

"Mr. Reliable" is how Wight describes the Learjet 60. Range of 2,502 nautical miles allows Seattle-New York, Bangor-Paris, London-Cairo and Singapore-Perth city-pair service. The 60 has Collins Pro Line 4 avionics. It got its RVSM certification in May 1997. It has PW305A engines from Pratt & Whitney Canada.

New for all new Learjet buyers is a special offer of free MedLink medical support from MedAire, a service that's also available on Bombardier's larger Challenger 604 and Global Express aircraft.
It includes installation of a special first-aid kit and provision of MedAire's aviation-specific medical management training to aircraft crew.

By Rich Piellisch