Learjet 24 (24-123, N3731) Credit: Paul Bowen This book offers an unique, comprehensive retrospective on the Learjet aircraft, from the establishment by Bill Lear in the sixties, to its slow demise in 2021. It accompanies readers on a unique journey through the configuration changes, and advanced technological applications that have transformed business jets and their market in the last sixty years. Important insights are given into numerous patents and innovations that have shaped the development of new technologies and aerodynamic improvements such as the winglet. Furthermore, this book presents many special missions carried out by the Learjet family, such as VIP, business and ambulance flights, research and military projects, and the use of Learjet in aerobatics, as well as aerial photography and cinematography. With a great number of original photographs and drawings, interesting events, stories and anecdotes, this book provides today’s aeronautical and systems engineers and test pilots with an invaluable source of information and inspiration. Yet, it also offers a compelling reading to students, professionals and scientists in the aerospace field as well as to curious readers with a general interest in aeronautics. Learjet 31A (31-131, N31LR) Credit: Paul Bowen “This book is a monument for the Learjet and Bill Lear written with an unbelievable amount of technical information supported by visual printed content, drawings of modifications and a great amount of photographs. A must for every LJ pilot or business pilot and their worldwide users. The authors must have worked on this for years because all technicalities are well researched and detailed described. I am sure competition must have acquired this book also.” (Max Heldring, Aviation Book Reviews, aviationbookreviews.com, April 26, 2023) “All readers will appreciate the organization of the chapters into the various major stages of the lifecycle of this company, including its success and failures and ultimate demise. … The book is one of the best … books I have reviewed yet, with marked improvements in graphic quality, which includes tables, charts, and line illustrations. … If Hamel’s and Park’s text encouragesyou to capture today’s experience for the benefit of our future, then it will, I believe, have achieved its desired effect.” (Mark Jones, COCKPIT MAGAZINE, July-December, 2022) “It describes to the reader the birth of the design and the company, and it also covers significant technical challenges that will interest the engineering mind. … All readers will appreciate the organization of the chapters into the various major stages of the lifecycle of this company, including its success and failures and ultimate demise. … If Hamel’s and Park’s text encourages you to capture today’s experience for the benefit of our future, then it will, I believe, have achieved its desired effect.” (Medium, medium.com, October 6, 2022) “After lunch today with my also-retired former partner, Vaughn Sink, I came back and sat down with your book, which I perused cover to cover. It´s amazingly comprehensive and well presented. The number and quality of photos you all were able to assemble are world class. I meant it when I said, "This is THE new definitive account of Learjet's 60-year history."” (Al Higdon Former Beech and Learjet Communications Executive) “My recommendation will be short and sweet. This book is an excellent addition to the literature dealing with aviation history. It covers the entire history of the Learjet, the company itself and the airplane itself, beginning with the initial concept, design process, manufacturing, and flight experience. The authors are engineers with a very close connection to the airplane, and therefore they speak with authority. Moreover, the writing style is easy to read, and each chapter is amply illustrated with photographs. To my knowledge, this book stands alone as a definitive history of the Learjet, a pioneering executive jet that was one of the first business airplanes to incorporate jet propulsion. I recommend this book to any reader interested in aviation history, engineering design of important aircraft, and who simply enjoys a good read. I found it a fascinating, educational, and very entertaining.” (John D. Anderson, Jr., AIAA Fellow Professor Emeritus, Aerospace Engineering University of Maryland) “The Learjet History by Peter G. Hamel and Gary D. Park is a truly outstanding book. While much has been written about Bill Lear and the Learjet family of airplanes, this is the most comprehensive writing. It contains narratives from dozens of persons who worked directly with or for Bill Lear, and/or were personal acquaintances of the authors. This truly multidisciplinary book, featuring dozens of photos, is the first of its kind to provide a world’s complete retrospective over the sixty years history of the Learjet. The configuration changes, advanced technology applications and innovations are discussed in detail,