What am I missing? You can get a Learjet 25 for 100k. Says needs hush kits. Those are 80k, so why are these things being thrown away? I get that fuel burn is a lot but these are fast birds. And it is jet A.

https://www.ebay.com/itm/322254245127

R

I am not sure but I think this 25 sold on GSAauctions.gov for 25Kish. It's an ex drug airplane and that's probably what its worth. There's a Gulfstream II there unsold for 46K if that gives you an idea what its worth. Worthless airplane but cool for a backyard or kids playhouse.

Lotta generic issues with old planes, but say your lear 25 burns 250gph and a comparable citation burns 100gph. Slower but the hush kit loses some efficiency so call it a wash. At 100 hours/year you are looking at an extra 15,000 gallons of fuel or ballpark $60k.

And hope nothing breaks in the meantime or the economics will quickly become scary.

Are the hush kits available yet?

That's what I was thinking. I was under the impression that all of the 20-series were south of the boarder or on a pedistal somewhere.

A 20 series Lear would be fun to scoot around in. Probably cost a bunch to get RVSM and up to good working order. Put a blow up doll in the right seat and you're good to launch.

you mean, available again?

they were certified sometime in the early 90s if I remember well, the question is, are they still available, does the company which had the STC still exist?

I would not know…

not sure whether those here are the ones that have originally been certified a long time ago..?

http://www.avconindustries.com/noise-suppressor

There were 1 or 2 companies offering engine upgrades, as well as interior spruce-ups, back around the time of the recession...


http://www.avbuyer.com/articles/busines ... retrofits/


Haven't hear much from em lately.

Love these airplanes, but built at a time when Jet A was .50 per gallon.

I always thought that they were beautiful and the crackling sound they make on the way out is exquisite.

50 cents in 1967 is about $3.60 today, adjusted for inflation, so per gallon cost isn't the whole picture. There are just much more efficient options available.

I wonder if you could get repetitive ferry permits...

airframe maint on the legacy lears will make grown men cry, notwithstanding upgrading avionics to meet rvsm, which is a must to get the CJ610 powered airframe to have enough range to go anywhere. Keep in mind the fuel flow of the CJ610 is the same at idle on the ground as it is at FL410. In other words, you need to fly HIGH quickly.

there was a firm trying to re-engine the Lear 25 with the williams engine some years back, but I think it just got cost prohibitive, when considering all the other panel upgrades that would be needed to make it all work, and compared to more contemporary airplanes available at reasonably low prices the economics just were not there.

It's too bad Lear never was able to get the 20/30 series certified single pilot. If that would have happened, the market would look a lot different today in my opinion.

you mean, available again?

they were certified sometime in the early 90s if I remember well, the question is, are they still available, does the company which had the STC still exist?

I would not know…

not sure whether those here are the ones that have originally been certified a long time ago..?

http://www.avconindustries.com/noise-suppressor

I have a lot of time in these old birds. Haven't flown a 20 series in 20 years, awesome aircraft, WAY overbuilt, extremely simple and dependable. A BLAST TO FLY!

A few thoughts:

In my opinion, you don't need thrust reversers on a LR 25, not nearly as much risidual thrust at idle as a 30 series with the fans. Most flyable 20 series Lears should already be RVSM legal as that has been required for 10 yrs or so. As to the fuel burn issue, it's less of a problem if you know the "tricks of the trade" or how to fly a 20 series Lear. As a good rule of thumb they will burn 10% of their gross weight per hour plus an extra 500 lbs the first hour for the climb.

The 25 trues out at 440kts and I believe the early Citations were 350kt airplanes, makes a HUGE difference bucking a 100kt headwind in the winter time. We flew KDAL to KTEB and return regularly non-stop all year long. Once or twice per year had to stop in KMEM for fuel.

One advantage to the older jets is that it's often much easier to upgrade avionics because they don't have an integrated FMS tied to all the other aircraft systems like newer aircraft.

Maintenance on older aircraft has always been an issue, no matter the size, so care must be taken to buy a well maintained aircraft. Find someone that knows Learjets and you will be OK. I don't think there is a more reliable, better built aircraft than a Lear, unless you spring for a Boeing.

You will likely be it's last owner so buy it cheap, pour gas into it, have fun and throw it away when you are done. You will forever have a smile on your face that few will understand.