Learjet(Now Bombardier) has been manufacturing top quality business aircraft since the 1950’s, and with the company’s current partnership with Bombardier, Lear jets are better than ever.
The Learjet 60 has been in production since 1993, and it is one of the best buys on the business luxury aircraft market at about $13 million new and $7 million used. The Learjet 60 is the most aerodynamically enhanced jet produced by Learjet yet. It has a lengthy fuselage and a very spacious cabin. It can reach a top speed of 534 mph and climb to a ceiling of 51,000 ft.
There is even a luxury version known as the Learjet 60 XR with enhanced avionics and an improved cabin. It’s a real beauty and looks like the classic image, you think of when you think of a private business jet. The cockpit of the XR is equipped with a state- of- the- art Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics systems, an Automatic Altitude Heading Reference System, WXR 840 weather radar, IFIS flight instrumentation, a TCAS II traffic collision avoidance system, and an Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System with windshear alert. I’m inclined to say that the 60 XR is the gold standard of midsize private jets. The cabin is large and roomy and features a very wide center aisle and overstuffed leather seating rivaling the type of seating on a business class commercial liner.
Maybe one of the best features of the cabin though is that it is high enough for the average full grown man to stand up in without ducking. The seating arrangement is unique as well. With a facing seat configuration, conducting in-flight meetings and interactions is quite convenient. The plane’s nearly 2,500 mile range means transcontinental flight is certainly within reach and most flights within North America can be completed without making any refueling stops. It’s also an efficient fuel sipper with operation costs that are only a fraction of what the Gulfstream V costs to operate.
Exclusive: Coming in 2009, the Learjet 85 is set to top even the high standards of the Learjet 60. The 85 is sized between the midsize and super midsize classes and will feature a structure composed entirely of composite material. This will make it the first of its kind. Learjet has designed this jet with incredible performance and made it capable of easily cruising at an impressive speed of Mach 0.82 and a transcontinental range of 3,000 nautical miles. I’m watching for the Learjet 85 to set new standards in business aircraft travel.