Learjet Bombardier Learjet 55

Twin Jet· 87 globally registered

The Learjet 55 represented a significant leap forward when it entered service in 1981 as Learjet's first medium-cabin business jet, breaking away from the company's traditional small-cabin designs. Built in Wichita by Gates Learjet (later Bombardier), the LJ55 introduced a wider fuselage, stand-up cabin, and delta-fin aerodynamics that became hallmarks of later Learjet models. Powered by twin Garrett TFE731-3A-2B turbofans, it could carry eight passengers at speeds up to Mach 0.81 with a range of approximately 2,400 nautical miles, making it competitive with the Cessna Citation III and early Hawker 800 variants in the mid-1980s executive jet market. The type's distinctive features included a supercritical wing design borrowed from NASA research and a cabin cross-section that finally allowed passengers to move about without stooping, addressing a longstanding complaint about earlier Learjets. Production ran until 1987 with 147 aircraft built before the improved Learjet 55C variant took over. The LJ55 found favor with corporate flight departments, air charter operators, and air ambulance services, though its relatively short production run and the subsequent dominance of newer designs have made it less common on ramps today compared to its longer-lived competitors. SkyMeter has tracked 100 flights across 22 airframes and 14 operators, with NYSU LLC the largest observed operator.