By Murdo Morrison2021-04-22T10:56:00+01:00
The early to mid-1960s were arguably aerospace’s most creative age, outside wartime. From the first manned space missions to the genesis of vertical take-off fighters, supersonic transports, and jumbo jets, engineers were dreaming big. The period also saw the birth of the business jet, an invention that fused glamour, security, and time machine for those Tom Wolfe would term the Masters of the Universe in booming corporate America.
Source: Bombardier
The Learjet 23 led the way, first flown in October 1963
Bill Lear’s Learjet 23 was the only US contender in a trio of types – with France’s Dassault Falcon 20 and the UK’s Hawker Siddeley HS125 – that over a few months between 1962 and 1963 took to the skies to usher an era of fast, comfortable and private transport for those companies and individuals who could afford them. Of all the brands that emerged at the time, Learjet, along with Gulfstream, has perhaps endured longest in the public consciousness and become synonymous with the sector.