We hit a goose going into Little Rock in a 31A and dented the wing leading edge on short final. Lear rep came out and gave us ten hours, a speed restriction, and altitude limit to get it fixed. I found out that if more than two screws are removed from the leading edge it has to be flown by a certified Learjet test pilot. Long story short, I got to go do a full stall test series in the jet. It was a great experience and I came away with the idea that I was a better pilot than the guy we hired to do the test. I never flew the 60 but isn't it a M.78 airplane?

I'm the DOM on an early model, 8,000 hr. Lear 60.. we paid about 1.5. Its a ton of airplane for the money but alas, nothing is free.

A few items:

1- Most Lear 60's have been upgraded to 3-rotor brakes and they hold up well. They aren't Gulfstream stoppers but we've had good luck. They are most certainly not the same as Lear 31-35 brakes.

2- APU's on this airframe provide no ECS. They tell you in school they are "Glorified Battery Chargers" hence we passed and found one without. You'll need to use DC power carts for engine starts or replace batteries often. The APU blocks access to the already smallish aft-equipment bay so it must be removed for most any Mx in back. Huge PITA. Going without one can also be a pain but it removes a bunch of weight/cost/liability to run without one.

3- Do not consider any ship without ESP Gold on the engines. Pay your $287 per engine per hour and carry on. A ship with no engine program would keep you up at night. A DEEC could run 200k

4- WestStar GJT should be considered Lear 60 headquarters. I would not darken the door of Learjet Wichita. They (WestStar) have been exceptional to work with… we have been in their shop twice in recent months. They have so much experience on these things- they know what your squawk will entail before you land. They get to fixing it and their billable time is very fair. I have been pleasantly surprised at their invoicing. We have a 12-year in 2017 and they said to budget 100K unless we have a windshield or big ticket item fail. They do go up from there. Interesting that their Lear Manager says the 60 airframe costs no more to maintain than a 30 series excepting avionics and engines.

5- As mentioned earlier, when you break ground in a Lear 60, the fun begins. They do have some BFL limitations. Tire pressure checks are a priority.

6- CASP to cover the avionics is 28k per year and money well spent. The Avionics are a bit old now but look how long the 30 series have flow with OLD SCHOOL cockpits.

I did not want a LEAR 60 when the boss picked this up a few years ago (he never asked me ) but I've learned to like it. Ours has been reliable (no squawks that were grounding items) and offers great performance with a decent cabin for low-ish cost. No way you could run a miserable Hawker 800 or Cessna 650 for what we spend.

Good luck!

I know where a couple of Lear60s might be available for any *inspired* buyers

So....who thinks that a Lear60 belongs at 1500' AGL for 1.5 hours?
(Love the comments about 'down low noise' and how Lears were made to slyrocket up to the 40's and then cruise fast. that is exactly what I thought Lears were designed to do too!

Just did a couple right seat legs in a 60 for the first time. The capability is fantastic and the value is there in today's market in my opinion for a nice cabin long range jet. In this case we flew a 2003 1,300 total time plane that looks great with a recent Bombardier 12 year, Wifi, ESP Gold, etc for under $3m. This was no 7,000 hr ridden hard charter bird. Lots of fadec power with an Eagle Service Plan to back it up. Not a surplus of baggage with the smallish external baggage and the minor internal space aft of the potty. That's the complaint echoed by the 4,000 hr 60 charter captain who entertained me. Dual Universal FMS setup, great radar, and wifi gave us plenty to play and plan with. Funny how an XM receiver seems superfluous with real WiFi onboard!

The APU fills the hell hole and must be removed for battery and other service which is inconvenient but it's not a huge deal from what I have seen over the past few years of taking care of them. The pilots said it helps W&B. I had one kid sleeping on the divan, another in the forward facing seat, a large club seating area plus a belted potty, 436 KTAS on 1,200 pph @ FL430 makes for a great ride! The thing will carry 7,900 lbs of fuel so it's simply flying at another level of capability compared to the beginner jets. I appreciate the 60.

The fact that the plane can be bought for less than 25% of new (around $13m new in 2003) speaks more to the general lack of buyers who understand it than the inherent transportation value the 60 provides.

Awesome input guys! Keep it coming!

Well, they're not exactly cheap to buy in my opinion. But I would consider them cheap to fly as far as mid-size, long range jets go.

I am not going to argue with you Jason. You do your thing, I'll do mine.

I'm not arguing. I love analyzing airplanes. WTF?

What does something cost new when it is no longer being manufactured?

Bombardier does not make them anymore. Only the Lear 70 and 75 are on their website - http://businessaircraft.bombardier.com/en/aircraft/learjet.html

You have already provided us with your analysis.

Parked next to a Lear 60 today. The crew was nice enough to show us around and discuss costs. The wife gave a big thumbs up after she sat inside. We tried to keep the costs of windscreens and engine inlets muffled, but I am afraid she heard some of it.

You're so right about this. In my experience, the airplane market is remarkably efficient, at least with respect to aquisition cost vs. operating cost.

Of course, that reignites another facet of the single vs twin debate, but forget I said anything.

1- Most Lear 60's have been upgraded to 3-rotor brakes and they hold up well. They aren't Gulfstream stoppers but we've had good luck. They are most certainly not the same as Lear 31-35 brakes.


Yes, the three rotor brakes are a huge improvement over the 2 rotor brakes, however the data is all based on the 2 rotor brakes that are the same brakes on the 30 series. So......even though the 3 rotor brakes are indeed a huge improvement, Bombardier never took the time or effort ($$$) to certify the improvements. Therefore for a part 25 airplane, the data is the data and it rules the performance which can be somewhat limiting on the 60 as it relates to BFL. Just saying.

I think the 60 is a fantastic value for performance/acquisition cost. Do good diligence in the purchase, and you've got a very capable magic carpet with LearJet looks!

Lear 60 was my first jet and still one of my favorite airplanes. One of a few airplanes that actually has enough power. Takeoff click, click, click it sounds like a pissed off vacuum and you better release the brakes or it will drag them locked up down the runway! As soon as you complete rotation and are airborne you have to pull the power back or risk exceeding speed limits or go nearly straight up or both! Frickin' awesome. Airplane is super quiet from the outside, almost stealthy; way quieter than any turboprop. The landing distances were a challenge landing under part 135; anything less than 6000' was critical due to the 60% rule. FAR 91 is no problem. In my experience the reason was the wing, not the brakes; the brakes are plenty powerful. the wing is an evolution of early Learjets with multiple additions/extension to both the tips and roots. This airplane had more aerodynamic doodads than any other airframe I have ever seen...stall fences, vortex generators, triangle strips, delta fins and the list goes on. The wing resulted in high approach speeds, hence long runway landing distances. The wing also caused high speed buffet before reaching Mmo, far more than any other jet I have flown. It's no big deal once you're used to it. Being my first, I expected every jet to exhibit the same, but they don't. So, the wing is the 60's shortfall, but certainly wouldn't hold me back. I wouldn't get one with the APU. No need for the added weight, complexity or maintenance for minimal return. We started up on external power from a GPU at base or FBO's; you're going to want a GPU in summer anyway to run the freon air conditioning. Battery starts at remote airports were never a problem and never any level of stress. We used to fly 4 round the world trips a year in that bad boy. I've flown it to almost every inhabited continent and over the Pacific, Atlantic and a few other oceans and seas. Great times for sure!

Good info Brent, I hadn't considered that since I don't fly her.