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The Lear Fan 2100, a radical two-engine pusher prop-jet made almost entirely from composites, was Bill Lear's final project. When Lear died in 1978, before his marvel of aviation technology became a reality, his widow, Moya, and Lear's employees honored his final wish to finish and fly the airplane. Only three Lear Fans were made and the project was eventually canceled, but the knowledge gained in composite technology revolutionized aviation.
The ambitious Lear Fan was unique because it was made almost entirely of graphite/epoxy and Kevlar composite materials. These composites made the Lear Fan strong at about half the weight of an aluminum airframe. The lighter Lear Fan was faster and more economical than conventionally made business jets and turboprops. It also incorporated dual engines powering a single propeller shaft, making engine-out control far less challenging than conventional twin-engine aircraft.
The Museum's model, the prototype, made its maiden flight in January of 1981. As a testament to the efforts to complete the aircraft by its 1980 contractual deadline, the British government, which helped fund the project, declared the Lear Fan's first flight date to be December 32, 1980. Envelopes carried aboard on the flight were canceled with this same date, and the U.S. Post Office honored the cancellation. Its U.S. registration, N626BL, represents Bill Lear's initials and birth date of June 26. The Museum of Flight acquired the aircraft, with the support of Mrs. Moya Lear, in 1989.
The Lear Fan 2100, a radical two-engine pusher prop-jet made almost entirely from composites, was Bill Lear's final project. When Lear died in 1978, before his marvel of aviation technology became a reality, his widow, Moya, and Lear's employees honored his final wish to finish and fly the airplane. Only three Lear Fans were made and the project was eventually canceled, but the knowledge gained in composite technology revolutionized aviation.
The ambitious Lear Fan was unique because it was made almost entirely of graphite/epoxy and Kevlar composite materials. These composites made the Lear Fan strong at about half the weight of an aluminum airframe. The lighter Lear Fan was faster and more economical than conventionally made business jets and turboprops. It also incorporated dual engines powering a single propeller shaft, making engine-out control far less challenging than conventional twin-engine aircraft.
The Museum's model, the prototype, made its maiden flight in January of 1981. As a testament to the efforts to complete the aircraft by its 1980 contractual deadline, the British government, which helped fund the project, declared the Lear Fan's first flight date to be December 32, 1980. Envelopes carried aboard on the flight were canceled with this same date, and the U.S. Post Office honored the cancellation. Its U.S. registration, N626BL, represents Bill Lear's initials and birth date of June 26. The Museum of Flight acquired the aircraft, with the support of Mrs. Moya Lear, in 1989.
