Learjet 55

The Learjet 55 "Longhorn" is an American business jet manufactured by Learjet.

Development and design

The Learjet 50 series was first announced at the 1977 Paris Air Show with larger cabins than existing Learjets. The series was to have three variants, the Learjet 54, 55 and 56 but only the Learjet 55 was built. The Learjet 55 was a low-wing cantilever monoplane with NASA-developed winglets. The aircraft has a T-tail and is powered by two Garrett TFE731 turbofans mounted each side of the rear fuselage. It has a retractable tricycle landing gear and an enclosed cabin for up to ten passengers and a cockpit for the two crew. Construction of the Learjet 55 began in April 1978 after extensive testing and work on the wing design which came, initially, from the Learjet 25. The Learjet 55 first flew on 19 April 1979. The first production aircraft were produced starting 18 March 1981. In total, 147 Learjet 55 aircraft were delivered.

Variants

;Learjet 54
:Proposed 11-seat variant; not built.
;Learjet 55
:Production variant; 126 built.
;Learjet 55B
:1986 - Improved version with a glass cockpit, improved take-off performance and increased range, 8 built.
;Learjet 55C
:1987 - New rear underfuselage design, with Delta Fins to improve lateral Dutch roll stability, and reduce takeoff and landing speeds.
;Learjet 55C/ER
:Extended-range version of the Learjet 55C.
;Learjet 55C/LR
:Long-range version of the Learjet 55C, fitted with an extra tank, carrying an extra of fuel in the tail cone.
;Learjet 56
:Proposed eight-seat version, not built.
;VU-55
:Brazilian Air Force designation for a VIP transport variant of the Learjet 55.

Operators

;
* Servicios Aéreos Profesionales

Accidents and incidents

* On 31 January 2025, Med Jets Flight 056, a Mexican-registered Learjet 55 operating as a air ambulance by a Miami/Mexico based Jet Rescue Air Ambulance with six people on board crashed near Roosevelt Mall in Philadelphia, at the intersection of Bustleton and Cottman Avenues, 40 seconds after takeoff from the Northeast Philadelphia Airport at 6:06 p.m. EST. The pediatric patient and her mother were en route to Tijuana International Airport in Mexico via Springfield-Branson National Airport, northwest of Springfield in Greene County, Missouri, after a medical procedure in Philadelphia Shriners Hospital. All occupants of the aircraft died in the crash.

Specifications

References

Notes

Bibliography

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External links

{{FAB aircraft designations

55
1970s United States business aircraft
Twinjets
T-tail aircraft
Low-wing aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1979
Aircraft with retractable tricycle landing gear