Long-range Learjet

But if the early Learjets were fast and chic, their turbojet engines were equally loud and thirsty, their high-wing loadings meant fast approach and landing speeds (in some models, necessitating drag chutes), and their cabins were Spartan and small. Today, flat floors, fully articulating seats, full-blown entertainment systems, galleys that can serve a small home, and stand-up headroom are all the rage. But early Learjet cabins could be positively cave-like by comparison. The headroom might have accommodated a 1960’s beehive hairdo, but that’s about it.

Things changed when the Gates Rubber Company acquired the Lear Jet Corporation in 1967, then merged with Gates Aviation, which renamed the company the Gates Learjet Corporation in 1969. Learjets with longer fuselages and bigger, more luxurious and full-featured cabins followed—the Learjets 35, 36, and 55. In 1990, Canada’s Bombardier Aerospace acquired the Learjet line and continued the push to make the airplanes more competitive with a new generation of business jets featuring larger, better-appointed cabins.

In 1993, Bombardier began delivering the Learjet 60, a much-improved derivative of the models 55B and 55C. It’s longer, has wing and fuselage aerodynamic refinements—including larger aft-fuselage “delta fins”—plus more fuel capacity, longer range, an externally serviced lavatory, single-point refueling, and full authority digital engine controls (FADEC). Bombardier delivered 430 60s, of which 147 were 60XRs, the latter built from 2008 to 2013 and equipped with Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics (the 60 has a Rockwell Collins Pro Line 4 panel) and a roomier interior. The Learjet 60 series’ strong suit is its 466-knot maximum cruise speed, up to 2,400-nautical-mile maximum range, and superlative climb performance.

Today, the Learjet 60 series is a good value in the used market. According to aviation analysts at JetNet LLC, the latest information shows average asking prices for the 60 in the $1.5 million to $3 million range; 60XR asking prices run from $3.5 million to $5.7 million.

However, owners such as Todd Green, a Springfield, Illinois-based real estate and golf course developer, owner of an 11-store auto dealership chain, and a precious metals dealer for the U.S. government, wouldn’t trade his 2002 Learjet 60 for any other ride. Why? Because he regularly flies from Springfield to Naples, Florida, on golf course and mall-development business in two hours, and Naples to Newport Beach, California, for more such real estate dealings in 3.5 hours. He may own a Piaggio Avanti, but it sits in a hangar at Springfield because it can’t make those trips nonstop. It’s for sale.

“I won’t sell the Lear 60,” Green said. “I can’t replace it. It only has 1,400 hours total time on it, and I can go just about anywhere in the United States with four to five passengers without stopping for fuel, barring big headwinds.” Green’s background as an aircraft owner began when he had a Rockwell Twin Commander 1000 and a Cessna Citation III.

Green’s flight crew, Capt. Helge Jordel and First Officer Ryan Blackford, has nothing but good words for the Lear 60. Jordel says it’s “the closest thing to a fighter jet that I’ll ever fly.” Blackford said the airplane “is great to hand-fly, even at high altitudes,” and cited 3,000- to 4,000-fpm climb rates at 300 KIAS to the fuel burn- and true airspeed-friendly 30,000-foot mark, and beyond. With one engine inoperative, initial climb rates can be as high as 2,000 fpm or so. “It’s a beast,” he said. “It may not be the fastest business jet, but it will outclimb just about anything else. You can go from sea level to 41,000 feet in 13 to 14 minutes.”

For takeoff, Blackford said that you push the thrust levers up three detents to the TOGA (takeoff/go-around) position, VR comes at 120 to 130, lift off, and then climb out at 200 KIAS so as not to bust the flaps-20 takeoff flap setting speed limitation (“You may have to come back on the power to prevent an overspeed,” he said). Select gear up, then climb away at 250, then 300 KIAS on your way to cruise altitude. In cruise, expect fuel burns of 725 pph (about 108 gph) per
side for the first hour, 650 pph (97 gph) for the second hour, and 600 pph (90 gph) for the third or fourth hour, he said. Endurance is approximately 4.5 hours, and most flights are flown at FL400 or FL410 feet, where the flight-planned cruise speed is 450 knots.

“I’ve never flown the airplane above 48,500 feet,” said Jordel. “And even then, this was just for a short time at light weight. Yes, the engines will get you to 510, but with that wing you are too close to the stall at that altitude, and ‘coffin corner’ is a concern. I’ve heard it said that nobody but Bombardier’s certification crew has ever had the 60 to 510.”

For arrival, the steps include slowing to 250 KIAS—the limit for the first, flaps 8 deflection. Then it’s gear down, flaps 20, and 200 KIAS just outside the final approach fix. At the final approach fix, it’s flaps 45 and slow to the ship’s 135 to 140 KIAS VREF airspeed. At the 50-foot call, it’s time for power to idle and slowly increase pitch for the touchdown. The thrust reversers come out when the nosewheel touches down, and the FADECs automatically reduce power to the thrust reversers as the airplane slows on the rollout. “The buckets really work,” Blackford said. “Which is a good thing, because the 60 uses the same tires and brakes as the Lear 35s, but we weigh about 5,000 pounds more. So we stay off the brakes until the turnoff.”

This brings up the Learjet 60/60XR’s sore spot in the marketplace: its runway performance. The same power, modest wing area, and thin wing chord that give the Lear 60 its speed works against it when it’s time to land or take off. “As a general rule, I use 5,000 feet as the minimum acceptable runway length. Anything less, and there’s less of a margin of error should anything go wrong at a critical time,” Blackford said.

The Learjet 60/60XR is in its element when avoiding hot-and-high situations, flying in and out of longer runways, and on routes lasting two to three hours. However, limited luggage space has been a criticism.

This makes competing used jets such as the Hawker 800/800XP and Cessna Citation Excel attractive alternatives, especially when you consider the Learjet 60’s comparatively higher insurance and operating costs. Hawker 800A/XP aircraft of similar vintage also run between $2 million and $3 million, can operate out of 4,000-foot runways, and cruise for 1,800 to 2,700 nm. Citation Excels sell in the same price range, although their range tops out at 1,800 nm. Then there’s the 2001-2011 Citation CJ1+, with single-pilot certification, that can sell for between $1 and $3 million, has a 380-knot cruise speed, and can use runways 3,000 feet long—although its range is much lower, at 1,300 nm.

But there’s another way to look at it. Figures from business aircraft market research firm JetNet LLC indicate that of the 309 Learjet 60s in the currently active U.S. fleet, 40 are for sale, and so are 11 of the current fleet of 113 Learjet 60XRs. That puts about 10 percent of the 60XR market on the market. This, together with the average of 303 days to sell, puts the 60XR in a buyer’s market. Those always wanting a Learjet may find that waiting could pay off.

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