Learjet 85
Bombardier Learjet 85 mockup at Paris Air Show 2009
Role Business jet
Manufacturer Bombardier
First flight 9 April 2014
Status Cancelled
Number built 2

The Learjet 85 was a Learjet development program by aircraft manufacturer Bombardier Aerospace.

The program was launched on October 30, 2007 and a mockup of the aircraft was unveiled in October 2008 at the NBAA show in Orlando. The Learjet 85 was to fit between the midsize and the super midsize segments of the market. Designed for type certification under FAR-25, it was the first Bombardier Aerospace business jet to feature a composite structure. The plane was intended to have a high-speed cruise of Mach 0.82 and a transcontinental range of up to 3,000 nautical miles (5,600 km).

On January 15, 2015, Bombardier announced their decision to suspend the Learjet 85 program and cut 1000 associated jobs.[1][2][3]

On October 29, 2015, Bombardier chief executive Alain Bellemare announced a 2015 $4.9 billion third quarter loss, including the cancellation of the Learjet 85 program.[4]

Design and development

Computer software design tools were used on the project, including CATIA and HyperSizer, and similar wing technology employed as on the Bombardier CSeries.[5]

Bombardier reported nearly 60 Learjet 85 orders at a price of US$17.2 million (2008 dollars). Flexjet announced it would be the initial launch customer with seven orders in 2011.[6][7]

On October 21, 2010, Bombardier opened a Learjet 85 aircraft component manufacturing facility in Querétaro, Mexico. The plant was inaugurated by President Felipe Calderón.[8] Some parts of the wing would have been manufactured in Belfast in Northern Ireland.[9]

The first test flight was on 9 April 2014.[10]

The development was "paused" in January 2015 as the aircraft development was consuming too much money and orders were lacking. The company suspended the Learjet 85 to concentrate on the CSeries and Global 7000/8000 instead. On October 29, 2015, the project was cancelled.[3][4]

Specifications (Learjet 85)

Data from Bombardier

General characteristics

  • Crew: two
  • Capacity: eight passengers
  • Length: 20.76 m (68 ft 1 in)
  • Wingspan: 18.75 m (61 ft 6 in)
  • Height: 6.08 m (19 ft 11 in)
  • Wing area: 37.25 m2 (401.0 sq ft)
  • Empty weight: 10,977 kg (24,200 lb)
  • Max takeoff weight: 15,195 kg (33,500 lb)
  • Powerplant: 2 × Pratt & Whitney PW307B turbofans

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 871 km/h (541 mph, 470 kn)
  • Cruise speed: 829 km/h (515 mph, 448 kn)
  • Range: 4,800 km (3,000 mi, 2,600 nmi)
  • Service ceiling: 15,000 m (49,000 ft)

Avionics

  • Rockwell Collins Pro Line Fusion avionics suite[11]
  • Electronic Flight Instrument System (EFIS)
  • Inertial Reference System (IRS)
  • Integrated Flight Information System (IFIS) with electronic charts[11]
  • Two Electronic Flight Bag (EFB)
  • Synthetic Vision System for Situational Awareness (SVS)[11]
  • Terrain Awareness and Warning System (TAWS)
  • Dual Flight Management System (FMS)[11]
  • Surface Awareness System
  • Weather Radar System
  • Autothrottle
  • Wide Area Augmentation System (WAAS)

References

  1. ↑ "Bombardier cutting 1,000 jobs, including 620 in Wichita". The Wichita Eagle. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  2. ↑ The Canadian Press (15 January 2015). "Bombardier to cut 1,000 aerospace jobs in Mexico, Kansas". CBC News. Retrieved 15 January 2015.
  3. 1 2 Niles, Russ (15 January 2015). "Bombardier 'Pauses' Learjet 85". AVweb. Archived from the original on 14 April 2020. Retrieved 16 January 2015.
  4. 1 2 "Bombardier cancels Learjet 85 amidst $4.9 billion loss". The Wichita Eagle. Retrieved 29 October 2015.
  5. ↑ Karen Wood (November 1, 2010). "Learjet 85 composite pressurized cabin a cost cutter". Composites World. High-Performance Composites. Retrieved August 22, 2011.
  6. ↑ Mark Phelps (May 21, 2009). "Learjet Presses On With Its Model 85". Flying. Archived from the original on 13 December 2009. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
  7. ↑ Pia Bergqvist (September 2011). "Flexjet to Become Learjet 85 Launch Customer". Flying. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
  8. ↑ "Bombardier Inaugurates Learjet 85 Aircraft Component Manufacturing Facility in Querétaro, Mexico" (Press release). Bombardier Aerospace. 21 October 2010. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
  9. ↑ Sarsfield, Kate (30 December 2010). "Learjet 85 wing structures to be manufactured in Belfast". London: Flightglobal. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
  10. ↑ Durden, Rick (9 April 2014). "Learjet 85 Makes First Flight". Avweb. Retrieved 14 April 2014.
  11. 1 2 3 4 "Bombardier's Learjet 85 takes flight with Rockwell Collins' Pro Line Fusion avionics". www.rockwellcollins.com. Retrieved 12 February 2018.
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