The Learjet History: Beginnings, Innovations and Utilization

374 Pages·2022·20.838 MB·English

by  Peter G. Hamel, Gary D. Park

The Learjet History
EarlyLearjetModel20Series(CreditLearjet)
·
Peter G. Hamel Gary D. Park
The Learjet History
Beginnings, Innovations and Utilization
PeterG.Hamel GaryD.Park
Braunschweig,Germany Wichita,KS,USA
ISBN 978-3-031-06030-4 ISBN 978-3-031-06031-1 (eBook)
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-06031-1
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CoverIllustrations:Front:Top:Learjet24(24-123,N3731)—Credit:PaulBowen;Bottom:Learjet31A
(31-131,N31LR)—Credit:PaulBowen
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Foreword
IfirstmetDr.PeterG.HamelatM.I.T.,whereweweregraduatestudents,andmain-
tainedprofessionalcollaborationsovertheyearssince.Webothmovedintoaviation
leadershippositions,heasDirectoroftheInstituteofFlightSystemsTechnologies
(formerly Flight Mechanics) at DLR and I as Director of Research at the NASA
Dryden Flight Research Center (DFRC). We served on NATO/AGARD working
groupsandlectureseriesaboutflightvehiclesystemsidentificationandPeteredited
the book “In-Flight Simulators and Fly-By-Wire/Light Demonstrators”. We both
servedontheM.I.T.CorporationVisitingCommitteefortheDepartmentofAstro-
nauticsandAeronauticsatdifferenttimes—Peter fortwotermsandIforoneterm.
Peter has a personal interest in aviation history and uses his knowledge to enrich
technicalpapersandthisbook.
The co-authors are eminently qualified to write this book. Gary D. Park has
publishedseveralengineeringarticlesinAIAAtechnicaljournalsonLearjetflight
testdatageneration,analysisandevaluation.HeservedonvariousAIAATechnical
Committees; he was on the AIAA National Board of Directors for 6 years, and
chairman of the AIAA books sub-committee for the two book series “Education
Series”and“ProgressinAstronautics&AeronauticsSeries”.Hewasanengineerat
BoeingandLearjetandretiredfromFAAWichitaAircraftCertificationOffice.
TheAIAAHistoryTechnicalCommitteeinvitedGarytowriteanAIAApaperon
thehistoryofLearjetfortheAIAASciTechConferenceinSanDiego,andpresented
itonJanuary6,2022.Thepaperwasentitled“SixtyYearsofLearjet”,co-authored
byGaryandPeter.ThepaperpresentedarichandextensivehistoryofLearjet.This
book,initiatedbyPeter,representsasignificantexpansionofthatpaperandcoversa
compendiumoftheorigins,stagesofdevelopment,technicalmodificationsandthe
extensivepotentialforuseoftheLearjetfamily.
ThisbooktracesLearjetfromitsbeginningsthroughtheevolutionofthecompany
andallLearjetmodels.Theconfigurationchanges,advancedtechnologyapplications
andinnovationsarediscussedindetail,includingBillLear’snumerouspatents.The
manyspecialmissionLearjets,fromresearchtomilitaryapplications,arediscussed.
ThehistoryofLearjet’suseinaerobatics,aerialphotographyandcinematography,
andthemanyinternationalrecordssetarecovered.ItcoverstheBusinessJetMarket
v
vi Foreword
development from its establishment by Bill Lear in the 60s to the slow demise
of Learjet in 2021. The book ends with collections of special Learjet events and
storiesthatshouldbetold.Itisfittingthattheseuniqueachievementsbeplacedin
ahistoricalcontextinabookthatwillprovidealastingmemoryfortheinterested
aviationenthusiast.
HermanA.Rediess,Ph.D.
DirectorofResearch,NASADFRC,1975–1978
ChiefScientist,FAATechnicalCenter,1996–1998
DirectorofAviationResearch,FAA,1998–2005
PortraitArtistandSculptor
Preface
OnFebruary18,2021,GaryParkreceivedanemailfromKevinBurns(representing
theAmericanInstituteofAeronauticsandAstronauticsorAIAA)stating:
“Gary, I am the Chair of the History Track for the 2022 event of the annual
Aerospace Sciences Meeting (SciTech). Last month the SciTech 2021 event took
place with over 4,0000 attendees from all over the world, and with about 3,000
paperspresentedonallaspectsofaviation.TheHistorySessionsarequitepopular
attheseevents.”
“With2022beingthesixtiethanniversaryofLearjetcomingtoWichita,Ibelieve
it would be the perfect opportunity to present a paper on the History of Learjet
ProductioninWichita.LearjethasmadeahugeimpactonAmericanaviation.Not
justasabusinessorregionaljet,butforalongtimeIworkedatCalspanwherewe
had a number of variable stability Learjets, which influenced generations of other
aircraft,andalsomadethecadreofpilotsinthenationmoreawareofhowtorespond
tovariousstabilityandcontrolproblems.Thatpartofthehistoryhasalreadybeen
recordedinAIAApapersbymyself andNormWeingarten,butthegeneralhistory
ofLearjetinWichitahasyettoberecorded.”
Peter Hamel responded very positively to Gary’s suggestion to co-author the
AIAAPaper2022–2069entitled“SixtyYearsofLearjet”.WiththeproposedAIAA
papernearlycompleted,theauthorsrealizedthatthepaperenormouslyexceededthe
lengthofanAIAApaperandconcludedthatthepaperwouldneedtobere-written
toashortenedversion.Later,Peterdeterminedthatwhatoriginallyhadbeenwritten
could be further detailed and expanded into a book. Peter took the initiative and
concludednegotiationswithSpringerInternationalPublisherfortheprintingofthis
book.
Braunschweig,Germany PeterG.Hamel
Wichita,USA GaryD.Park
vii
Acknowledgements
IftheauthorsofthisdocumentationhavesucceededinportrayingtheLearjethistory
overthepastsixtyyearsinanappropriateandillustrativeform,itwaspossibleonly
duetothecooperationandsupportofmanyaviationenthusiasts.Tonameeachand
every one, who has contributed directly or indirectly, in a small or bigger way, to
thisbookisadifficulttask,associatedwiththeriskofoverlookingoneortheother.
We take an easier way out, by thanking all of them for support of this endeavor.
Nevertheless,afewindividualsandorganizationsneedspecialmention.
ThankstoLouKnottsoftheCalspanCorporationfortheuseofdocumentstoillus-
trateanddiscusstheirworld’suniquefly-by-wireLearjet24/25/31fleetforairborne
simulationpurposes.
Dr. Ravindra Jategaonkar, former Senior Scientist at DLR, agreed to conduct
a critical review of the book’s manuscript. Thanks to his remarkable, intelligent,
and constructive proofreading; his comments and suggestions have significantly
improvedthequalityofthebook’scontents.
Dr. Herman Rediess has graciously provided eloquent personal commentary in
the “Foreword” attesting to the qualifications of the authors in the writing of this
book.
Former Learjet employees acknowledged include Al Higdon, Mike Abla, Stan
Blankenship,DickKovich,AbeJibril,Dr.TNBaktha,andFrankSchick.DickKovich
reviewedthebookdiligentlyandveryhelpfully.MikeAblaandAlHigdonreviewed
AIAAPaper2022–2069thatthisbookhasexpandedupon.
We are appreciative of Rick Durden for providing his insights from flying the
Learjet 24 and the potentially deadly consequences of pilots choosing to override
Mmorestrictionsusing“go-fast”switches.Suchcommonsensearticlesarepublished
regularlyontheInternetinAvWeb’s“ThePilotsLounge”.
PaulBowenprovidedhigh-qualityphotographsofLearjetsinflightforthefront
cover.ThisisparticularlyappreciatedconsideringPaul’sextensiveassociationwith
Learjet,Inc.asdescribedbyAlHigdon:“Inthe1970’s,PaulBowenemergedasthe
nation’s pre-eminent air-to-air photographer, based largely, but not exclusively, on
hisextensiveshootingofaerialphotosofvariousLearjetmodels,whichhadbeenhis
first commercial assignment. His extremely well organized and detailed pre-flight
ix
x Acknowledgements
meetings with all crew members routinely leads to photos of unparalleled beauty,
in a totally safe operational environment. Bowen’s decades-long career has led to
his election into several national aviation halls of fame and the publishing of four
hard-boundcolorbooksfeaturinghiswork”.
ComputersupporthasbeenprovidedbyPrestonPark,PA.
From the other side of the Atlantic, Swiss engineer Georges Bridel, formerly
Vice-President for Advanced Development of Combat Aircraft at EADS (today:
AirbusDefenceandSpace),kindlyprovidedsomebackgroundinformationonthe
developmentandflighttestingoftheSwisscombataircraftP-16.
Althoughnotinvolvedwiththewritingofthisbook,weacknowledgethesupport
ofNASAfacilitiesandresearcherswhohavecontributedtothesuccessoftheLearjet.
ThreeNASAResearchCenters—Langley,Dryden,andAmes—havebeenawesome
withtheirsupportofLearjetevenaftertheywereboughtoutbyBombardier,aCana-
diancompany.Inparticular,PaulFayHolloway,asDirectoratLangley,supported
thewindtunnelfluttertestingintheirTDTofLearjetModel45.
RichardTravisWhitcomb designedthewingletsfortheLearjet28/29thatwere
onLearjet28-001thatNeilAldenArmstrongbroke5worldaviationrecordsin1979.
Ames provided computer support that cut significant time off the development of
newer Bombardier Learjets. In earlier times, Ames tested Lear Jet 23-002 in their
40-by80windtunnel.LangleyandDrydensupportedflighttestparameterestima-
tion analyses of Learjet Models 35 and 55 with software developed by Lawrence
W. Taylor, Jr. and Kenneth W. Iliff. Detailed acknowledgments are numerous and
partiallyunknown.
Apartfromtheindividualprofessionalsmentionedintheforegoing,theauthors
particularly appreciate two other individuals: Gary Park’s wife Judy, who had to
missoveranextendedperiodoftimethenormalfamilylifeandPeterHamel’swife
Hanni forgoingthroughthesamefate.Theirsupportandunderstandingmadethe
taskbearableandhaveindirectlycontributedtothispaper.
Finally, the authors would like to acknowledge the interest of Springer Inter-
national Publisher in publishing this book. We would like to extend our thanks to
LeontinaDiCeccoforthesovereigncareandimplementationofourwishesinthe
developmentofthisbookproject.Inaddition,wehavetosincerelythankGowtham
ChakravarthyandhisSpringerNatureProductionTeamforpatientlyandconfidently
consideringandimplementingourcorrectionproposals.