Learjet 24: The Most Important Learjet Ever?

Background

In the early 1950’s, the Swiss government initiated a program to develop their own fighter jets, in an apparent attempt to rival the fighter jet programs of neighboring countries.

With generous terms and lengthy contracts, Swiss aircraft manufacturers tripped over one another to develop a fighter jet the Swiss Air Force could use. Flug- und Fahrzeugwerke Altenrhein, or FFA for short, was no different.

Indeed, they spent thousands of man hours on their P-16 design in the hopes of getting that contract. But despite the Swiss Air Force’s interest and a working prototype undergoing flight testing, the P-16 was cancelled due to budget cuts.

Though devastating for FFA, the project caught the attention of an American engineer called Bill Lear. Even though everybody else wrote the P-16 off as a failed experiment, Lear reasoned that it could be reengineered into a VIP transport aircraft.

Forming the short-lived Swiss-American Aviation Corporation (SAAC) to do this, Lear and a group of engineers eventually came up with a design they called the SAAC-23, later sold as the Learjet 23.

The world’s first business jet, the Learjet was inundated with orders for the Learjet 23, with 101 being built by the time Learjet ceased production in 1966… only two years after it was put into production!

You see, the introduction and subsequent success of the Learjet 23 did not go unnoticed. Within a few years, other aircraft manufacturers were producing their own business jets. Many of these were outclassing and outcompeting the Learjet 23.

Development

As the father of the industry, Lear was unwilling to let these other companies beat him and set about creating a Learjet 23 successor that would beat its competition and pass new FAR-25 standards, then recently introduced by the FAA.

Operational History

Corporate Jet

Private Jet

NASA

Charter

Movie

Museum

Features

Price

In 1970, the flyaway cost for a brand new Learjet 24 was $989,000 (or roughly $7.05 million when adjusted for inflation), making it one of the cheapest business jets of its day.

Sadly, Learjet ceased production of the Learjet 24 in 1977 to make way for other, more modern jets, meaning that the only way to acquire one would be on the secondary market. Thankfully, there are several currently for sale on the secondary market.

A cursory search will reveal that used Learjet 24s are incredibly cheap. The cheapest go for as little as $100,000, whilst the most “expensive” for as much as $350,000. Though these may seem like astronomical figures, for business jets, this is nothing.

But this isn’t for no reason either. Used Lear 24s are so cheap for three reasons:

1. They’re outdated
2. They’re in need of extensive work (engine refurbishments, interior redesigns etc.)
3. They’re incredibly expensive to operate – $3,076 per hour (assuming you fly 400 hours per year) whilst similar modern jets cost around $1,200 per hour to operate

Variants

• Learjet 24A – Standard variant developed from Learjet 23, certified on November 9 1966. 81 built.
• Learjet 24B – Improved variant powered by two General Electric CJ610-6 engines, certified on December 17 1968. 49 built.
• Learjet 24C – Lightweight variant of the 24B, without a fuselage fuel tank. Project abandoned in December 1970.
• Learjet 24D – Learjet 24C with larger wingtip fuel tanks, increased MTOW and angular cabin windows. First certified on July 17 1960. 99 built.
• Learjet 24D/A – Learjet 24D with reduced MTOW.
• Learjet 24E – Improved variant announced in 1976 with an all-new cambered wing and aerodynamic improvements powered by two General Electric CJ610-8A engines. 17 built.
• Learjet 24F – Learjet 24E with increased fuel capacity, greater range and higher cruising altitude, certified alongside the 24E on April 15 1977. 12 built.

Specifications

Specifications	Learjet 24F
Length	43 ft 3 in (13.18 m)
Wingspan	35 ft 7 in (10.85 m)
Height	12 ft 3 in (3.73 m)
Crew	2
Passengers	6
Cruise Speed	774 km/h (481 mph; 418 kn)
Range	2,728 km (1,695 mi; 1,473 nmi)
Service Ceiling	45,000 ft (14,000 m)
MTOW	13,500 lb (6,123 kg)

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