Newest Learjet

This eight-person aircraft is a completely new one. New airplane is installed in Wichita. At a staff assembly in Wichita on Tuesday, the enterprise presented a prototype of the aircraft. "Commenting on Wednesday, Leo Knaapen, president of the Bombardier Group, said: "We need to allocate additional funds to begin the reconfiguration of the plant. We do not publish an estimated date of arrival.

Nor did it say whether the aircraft would be constructed with compound or aluminium or not. At its Shorts site in Ireland, Bombardier runs a competence centre for compound material. It is exploring ways to extend the existing technologies into its various production line offerings, which include its Learjet, Challenger and Global production line, Cote said.

Cote said that this competence could be transferred to other places such as Wichita or Montreal. "No matter which technologies we use, it will be a success," Cote said. An area of commercial aircraft in which the firm is unlikely to join soon is the extremely lightweight jets sector, Cote said. It' s a different client roster, Cote said.

He said there are many businesses entering this sector. "We would like to see it evolve and see who succeeds and who fails," Cote said. For more information on Wichita Eagle or to sign up for the newsletter, visit http://www.kansas.com. 2007, The Wichita Eagle, Kan.

A Learjet made of composite materials | Business Jet Traveler

As Bombardier Aerospace introduced its latest mid-size Learjet - now called Learjet 85 - to the market, the company's lead designer made two important choices. And the second was to adhere to the classical Learjet design. The design of a new aircraft gives a maker the infrequent chance to escape from the pit that a particular aircraft type is defined in.

Ever since Bill Lear almost single-handedly launched his legendary Learjet into the (relatively) lightweight businesjet world in the 1960', the product line has expanded, but has always kept its initial form, with a T-tail, thin fins and a thin tube-body. The Learjet 85 is not only a tribute to Lear's heritage, but also the biggest and longest Learjet ever developed by Bombardier's team.

It also maximizes the internal compartment, since smaller sized compounds are stable enough. For example, metallic hulls need round partitions that reduce the amount of room between the cabins. Compound materials enable slimmer hull panels and more internal volumes. Whilst there are several other fully compounded commercial and private aircraft in the pipelines - some began long before the Learjet 85 - the 85th of the 85th may be the first to make it to certifications, manufacturing and delivery to customers.

Featuring a 664 cubic ft cab, the aircraft provides ample space for eight occupants in twin seats, a full toilet at the rear and a caboose opposite the caboose entranceoor. The cab is 71 inch high and 73 inch wide in the centre line and 50 inch wide in the underline. Benefits included a comfort cab of 6,000 ft when cruising at a max 49,000 ft, a high-speed 470 kn, a long-range 448 kn and a 3,000 nautical miles cruising distance with four passenger and two pilot.

Enough distance to travel from Geneva to the Middle East or Canada, this means no stopping when travelling via the USA or from North America to Brazil. Boombardier is expecting to be certified and commissioned in 2012 and does not expect any delay due to the bankruptcy of Grob Aerospace, which was supposed to construct the first prototype.

Bombardier's plant in Queretaro, Mexico, manufactures the Learjet 85 compound airframe and ships it to Wichita, Kan.