“It’s All About Time” is the name of a well-distributed Learjet promotional film from decades ago. On Thursday in Wichita, prior to the start of the 46th Paris Air Show, we climbed into the left seat of N60LJ, a nearly new Learjet 60 demonstrator that is now on static display in front of Bombardier’s B 368 chalet. Check-in time for the flight was 10 minutes before engine start.
Dennis Simmons, senior demonstration pilot at Bombardier’s Wichita flight operation, guided us through the cockpit, as we had not flown the Learjet 60 in nearly seven years. Our switchology and FMS programming skills indeed were rusty, but shortly after takeoff, we felt at home in the saddle. Sixteen minutes after launch, we were leveling at FL 410 and accelerating toward our 450 KTAS cruise speed. The Learjet 60 is so pleasant to hand-fly, we would not have engaged the autopilot had it not been for US RVSM requirements.
In less than three hours, we slowed to our 137 KIAS Vref landing approach speed before alighting in Montreal. After a brief stop to fill the tanks and pick up Marc Bouliane, Bombardier’s Global 5000/XRS product manager, we departed for Keflavik. We sat in the back on the second leg, to chat with Bouliane and nap briefly while watching the sun sink slowly into the northern sky. In Iceland, the folks at Southair topped off the aircraft in 20 minutes during the twilight at 0130 local time. We taxied out, admiring the wild flowers next to the ramp.
An hour after takeoff, the twilight brightened as the sun rose, again in the north. Less than three hours after leaving Iceland, we pulled into Signature Flight Support at 0630 local time, ready for a full business day on Friday. Total travel time from Wichita was about 12 hours.
The more things change, the more they stay unchanged. “It’s all about time” remains a constant in today’s delay-plagued airline world. Except, now the stakes are higher because of inadequate ticket counter staffing, ponderous security lines and the woefully slow hub-and-spoke route system. Three legs to Paris on a Learjet 60 involve a whole lot less total travel time than one suffers using the airlines. And besides, what a way to travel to the Paris Air Show! —Fred George
