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Aviation History
1964
1964 - 0729.PDF
422 FLIGHT International, 19 March BEHIND THE BROCHURE .. . The third Lear Jet (foreground) nearing completion at Wichita. The first prototype is in the background and the second, for structural test, on the left aircraft best when he said: "Bugs? The bugs on this aircraft were taken out on the drawing board." Judging by the flight record to date, and the performance achieved in so remarkably short a time, this statement seems very close to the truth. While in Wichita, I was quoted a firm price for a fully equipped aircraft, including paint and furnishing with duplicated navigation equipment, of $500,000 (£178,500). In this price there is, however, one snag. As Bill Lear puts it, "That's the price for the aircraft. You can have in it any equipment you like, so long as it's the equipment that's in it now, and any colour you like, so long as it's red and white." Those who want anything different are going to have to pay extra, but this aircraft has been designed by pilots for pilots, and only the most exhaustive research has led Bill Lear to believe he can sell this aircraft to anybody without them wanting to change it. Vne with the landing gear down, is 250kt, and Vne for a clean aircraft is M0.90 (346-350kt). The airbrakes are self-stalling but are operable up to Vne, and their primary use is as lift-dumpers for rapid descent. The aircraft has been proved to be controllable up to 250kt with one airbrake up and the other retracted. Two years ago Bill Lear said he would produce his aircraft for $500,000 fully equipped, and that is the price offered to my company today. North American Sabreliner The day before I arrived in Los Angeles, the FAA had granted the Sabreliner an increased operating gross weight which now means that the aircraft can fly with a full passenger load and full fuel—six passengers, plus 2501b of baggage, plus two crew over an IFR range of 1,580 statute miles. A visit to North American's Sabreliner production plant in Los Angeles is sufficient to convince the most sceptical that here is probably the world's finest aircraft structure. Nothing seems to be left out, or to chance, as the remarkably trouble-free 185,OOOhr of flying amassed by the 170 or so Sabreliners now flying seems to confirm. Although it costs about £354,000, elaborately equipped and luxuriously furnished, it is a strong, long-range corporate jet aircraft, way ahead of most of its rivals in experience and proven reliability, and with handling qualities in the air which leave nothing to be desired. One of the most sensible production tech- niques I had not seen before. The entire interior of the structure is painted white so that on inspector with a small lamp can find a stray 2 BA washer at a glance. Entirely push-rod-operated controls, with only a short length of cable connecting the columns, give a crisp, positive control with an admirably matched control rate. Use of fully "milled from the billet" one-piece top and bottom wing-skins produces, as one would expect, a solid, stiff aeroplane with an extremely strong, aerodynamically clean and accurate wing. There are no "barnacles" on this aeroplane. The flaps tuck away leaving no external trace, the automatic leading-edge slats, supported by curved rails, roll into their housings with a light push of the hand. "Clean" or "dirty," this wing is as nearly aerodynamic- ally perfect as the know-how and experience of North American engineering can make it. Thermal de-icing on the wing-roots prevents ingestion of ice into the thermally anti-iced engine intakes, but Goodrich boots are fitted as an optional extra to all leading edges. The air-stair door, though solid and outward-opening, is easily operated with one hand, and the vestibule, containing luggage rack, WC and galley is comfortable to stand in. A step up into the cabin reduces headroom, where in my opinion it is least needed, but not to a cramping degree. The cabin, styled by the distributors, Remmert- Werner Inc, is superbly engineered and furnished. In the 60hr of passenger flying I completed on this journey, I counted a total of only lOmin on my feet. One minute standing for every five hours sitting, makes the sacrifice in performance and weight involved in providing room to pace up and down hardly worthwhile, however frustrated the executive. I was privileged to fly the Sabreliner from Miami to New York, and in a deliberate manual climb to 37,000ft and a short cruise before engaging the Collins autopilot, I found the aircraft handled beautifully. It was stable and solid, arid I had no difficulty, despite more than three years away from jet aircraft, in maintaining a good, steady climb gradient. With no sloppiness at high altitude, this aircraft flies like a fighter, and control forces remain virtually constant throughout the speed/altitude range. Taking off from Pompano Beach, Florida, at 17,7601b weight in an outside air temperature of 80°F, I will admit to having been a little apprehensive, with only 4,000ft of runway between me and the trees at the end, but I need not have worried. By the time I got to the trees I had the wheels up and 300ft on the altimeter and was climbing out in a steep left turn. We set off for Trenton, New Jersey, where, 2hr 35min after closing the door, I opened it again into the icy blast of a 23 °F wind. At Trenton, again with only 4,000ft, of runway, my first Sabre- liner landing, in a choppy cross-wind and approaching at 105kt, presented no difficulty. I turned off and cleared the runway at the first intersection without needing more than gentle check braking- Nosewheel steering is easy and light, coupled to the rudder pedals by a column-mounted push-switch. Brakes were powerful, but smooth. The cruise at 37,OO0ft averaged Mach 0.715 indicated ana our point-to-point average speed was 490 m.p.h. despite a strong beam wind. Although Bill Remmert, in the right-hand seat, did the navigating
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