Gallery: The Lear Jet Turns 50 — But It Almost Didn't Make It Off the Ground
01Learjet Van Nuys
The Lear Jet first flew in 1963 and within a few years would become synonymous with private jets. Here an early model 23 is the first private jet at the Van Nuys airport. Today the airport north of Hollywood is home to more than 250 private jets. *Photo: Clay Lacy Aviation*
(R to L): Duma member Ilya Ponomarev, IBM's Boris Poddubny, RGRCom CEO Roman Ferster, and Inline Telecom Solutions' Alexander Shkalikov are all intimately involved in expanding Russia's deep packet inspection efforts.021965L-S-N-12 factory
Here is the Lear Jet factory in Wichita, Kansas in 1964. Serial number 012 would go on to be Clay Lacy's first demonstrator aircraft (N1965L seen in most of these photos). This particular airplane was used to give many rides and popularize the Lear Jet brand. *Photo: Clay Lacy Aviation*
03claylacy bill lear danny kaye
Clay Lacy, Bill Lear and actor Danny Kaye sit in a mockup of a Lear Jet at the factory in 1964. Lear was famous for making sure the airplane design was as simple as possible, while shooting for maximum performance. Lacy and Kaye were partners in the Lear Jet dealership at the Van Nuys airport north of Hollywood that would make the airplane famous around the world. *Photo: Clay Lacy Aviation*
041965L-over-Malibu.jpg
When the Lear Jet 23 arrived, it was the only private airplane capable of flying 550 mph. It also could cruise at 41,000 feet, well above most weather and other air traffic. The performance made it popular with celebrities and businesses alike. *Photo: Clay Lacy Aviation*
05Learjet - 1965L Off Road001
During the early days of the Lear Jet, Clay Lacy flew many demonstration and record setting flights with the new airplane around the country. Here he and business partner Allen Paulson stand next to s/n 012 after showing the airplane isn't limited to just paved ground. *Photo: Clay Lacy Aviation*
06lacy paulson lear jet
Lacy and Paulson stand next to the clam-shell doors of the Lear Jet 23. The new doors were an improvement over the ship-like hatch doors of other early jets and added to the passenger experience. Paulson would go on to own Gulfstream and oversee the development of its early business jets. Though Lacy says he continued to tease his former partner that people still pointed to a Gulfstream and called it a Lear Jet. *Photo: Clay Lacy Aviation*
07Bill Lear 73rd Bday fly-in with Clay
Clay Lacy and Bill Lear enjoying themselves at a Lear Jet fly-in to celebrate Lear's 73rd birthday in 1975. After having sold his airplane company a decade earlier, Bill Lear died in 1978 at age 75. *Photo: Clay Lacy Aviation*
08claylacylear25
Today, at 82 years old and with 53,000 hours of flying time, Clay Lacy still regularly flies Learjets. Here he stands next to a Learjet 25, the last one owned by Bill Lear himself. Lacy has owned the airplane for 40 years and it has flown more than 20,000 hours. In the background is the tail of the Lear Jet Lacy flies aerobatic demonstrations in air shows. *Image: Jason Paur/Wired.com*
