Old LearJet

Still one of the best looking airplanes ever made!

It's not the only one, as there is another 23 which is being restored right now... and I think there is even another one (Sinatra's airplane) that might also be restored at some point.

Unfortunately, I can't fit in a 23 cockpit. If you look at the circuit breaker panels and how they extend out, there just isn't enough room for my legs and the yokes. A 24, where they put the circuit breaker panels at an angle, is tight but works for me (and I have some time in 24s)... a 35 is plush, in comparison.

23 has lots of weird systems quirks, most of which were corrected in the 24. In fact, a decent number of 23s were converted at various points to the 24 spec. This one, presumably, was not.

 

Sinatra's 23 was serial number 31, this one above is #36.

From GE's website:

In 1964, Sinatra became the proud owner of one of the early Learjets – serial No. 31. Equipped with two GE CJ610-4 engines, the little Lear 23 was the top performing private jet on the market at the time. It had a cruising speed of 518 mph and could allegedly outclimb an F-86.

Sinatra and a bevy of A-list celebrities took full advantage of the aircraft. Between 1965 and 1967, Christina II, named after Sinatra’s daughter, logged more than 1,500 hours. The logbook:

• Marlon Brando and Sammy Davis Jr. flew in it to Mississippi to join Martin Luther King Jr. in a civil rights march

• Sinatra and actress Mia Farrow flew in it on their first date, as well as a year later on their honeymoon in France

• The Rat Pack used it to make routine stops between Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Sinatra’s home in Palm Springs

• Elvis used the Lear in May of 1967 to elope to Las Vegas with Priscilla

I think Sinatra's 23 is now at the Palm Springs Air Museum.

https://palmspringsairmuseum.org/elvis-and-the-learjet-part-one/

 

SN 3 (the first production 23) is being restored at Bombardier, in the building where it was delivered.

https://www.ainonline.com/aviation-news/business-aviation/2023-09-05/bringing-lear-003-back-flight?utm_campaign=AIN%20Alerts&utm_medium=email&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-9TgM2WAo9BZz-a_EL3DzsOml_cO8pgOIQBl3bvtbOFeu-L8cnkBg-hd5PvAnMrzc96FsFjYMLLtJJbaU7IXy1sQCEzmA&_hsmi=384824351&utm_content=384824351&utm_source=hs_email

 

That guy is an idiot.

 

I will say, I think $41,000 is about the scrap value, so he didn't do too badly.

 

Great looking aircraft.

 

I'm not going to watch his video, but I don't know why he would care about what is or is not functional. That airplane will never fly again.

 

This has been a favorite plane of mine for a long time so I like to see all the good and bad. Could also be a good parts plane for the one going to auction.

 

I suspect that it will all go to the smelter, with the possible exception of the engines.