The brain child of genius inventor and engineer Bill Lear, the Learjet 23 was the first purpose-built business jet and singlehandedly birthed the modern business aviation industry as we know it!
Despite its two year production run (1964-1966), 101 Learjet 23s were built and it served as the basis for the next 30 years of Learjet aircraft, including the now-famous Learjet 24, Learjet 31 and Learjet 35…
Background
When WWII ended, the world scrambled to develop a domestic fighter jet. You see, during the war, both the British and Germans had succeeded in not only building their own fighter jets, but also using them in combat… often with deadly results.
Though this international scramble was spearheaded by countries like the US and Soviet Union, who didn’t want to rely on British-made fighters, nor lose their domestic aircraft manufacturing industries, smaller countries, like Switzerland were also developing their own fighter jets.
In 1947, Swiss aircraft manufacturer Flug- und Fahrzeugwerke Altenrhein (FFA) began developing a single seat, high speed jet interceptor they called the P-16.
Once completed in 1952, FFA sent the design to the Swiss Air Force for review. Impressed, Swiss Air Force top brass ordered two prototypes to be built and the first prototype flew on April 35 1955.
Despite both prototypes flying a collective 332 flights, the second prototype becoming the only Swiss-made aircraft to break the sound barrier and the Swiss Air Force ordering 100 P-16s, the crash of both prototypes prompted the Swiss Air Force to cancel the project.
In its place, the Swiss Air Force procured British-made Hawker Hunters.
Yet the cancellation of their contract and the Swiss Air Force’s procurement of Hawker Hunters did not dissuade FFA. Instead, they elected to continue the program as a private venture in the hopes of finding a foreign buyer.
Hoping to make the P-16 more appealing to foreign buyers, FFA reached out to an American engineer called Bill Lear to assess their aircraft and suggest improvements. And the rest, as they say, is history.
Development
Despite Bill’s help in making the design more appealing, no buyer emerged for the P-16 and FFA officially closed the project in 1961. Where FFA saw failure, Bill saw potential.
Establishing the Swiss American Aviation Corporation (SAAC), hiring many of the engineers behind the P-16 and the deposed King Michael I of Romania as a test pilot, Lear set to work designing a corporate transport incorporating elements of the P-16’s design.
Operational History
Private Jet
Corporate Jet
Charter
Fractional Ownership
Military
Museum
Features
Price
Specifications
| Specifications | Learjet 23 |
|---|---|
| Length | 43Â ft 3Â in (13.18Â m) |
| Wingspan | 35Â ft 7Â in (10.84Â m) |
| Height | 12Â ft 7Â in (3.84Â m) |
| Crew | 2 |
| Passengers | 6 |
| Cruise Speed | 834Â km/h (518Â mph; 450Â kn) |
| Range | 2,950Â km (1,830Â mi; 1,590Â nmi) |
| Service Ceiling | 45,000Â ft (13,700Â m) |
| MTOW | 12,499Â lb (5,669Â kg) |
How Safe is The Learjet 23?
What’s it Like to Fly on The Learjet 23?
What do you think about the Learjet 23? Have you ever flown on it? Tell me in the comments!
Featured image courtesy of David via Flickr.