Aircraft Profile: Bombardier Learjet 35

With more than 700 aircraft built the Learjet 35/36 is a familiar sight around the business aviation airfields.

The derivative of the Learjet 25 was the mainstay of the Bill Lear empire until financial difficulties saw the company being taken over by Bombardier in 1990.

With a speed of 440 knots, the 35 and 36 were among the fastest business jets of their time. The 35 can seat seven passengers, with an eighth passenger on the jumpseat immediately behind the copilot.

The Model 36 is a longer range version, and thus has two fewer seats in order to make room for more fuel. The aircraft was a status symbol with many sports and stage personalities in the 1970s and 1980s.

In 1976 Arnold Palmer using the upgraded Learjet 36 established a new round-the-world class record of 22,894 miles (36990 km) completed in an elapsed time of 57 Hours 25 Minutes 42 Second. Tragically, another golfer Payne Stewart died of hypoxia following an incident prior to the crash of his Learjet 36.

Learjet was cleared of responsibility in the accident. Although it has been out of production for more than 13 years the aircraft still epitomises the great Bill Lear “Jet Set” ideal. The type was also used by the US military where it is designated the C-21A and the C36A.

Heritage:

The Learjet 35 began as the Learjet 25BGF (with GF referring to "Garrett Fan"), with a then-new TFE731 turbofan engine mounted on the left side replacing the Lear 25's GE CJ610 engine.

This test bed aircraft first flew in May, 1971 with the full prototype featuring a larger wing (and the additional window) in January 1973. Deliveries began the following year. Production of the 35/36 series ended in 1994.

Spotter's Guide:

The Lear 35/36 features the straight wing with tapered leading edge and distinctive tip tanks at either end. It has five windows on the right hand side of the cabin and four on the left (fewer than the Lear 31 series). The engines are rear fuselage mounted behind which is the T-tail with swept fin and tailplane.