King Lear

That’s fine. Don’t change it, Leap Jet will do very nicely.

Mindful of having been caught out by my first Lear Jet takeoff 17 years ago, today I lined up this latest, biggest, widest, heaviest Learjet 60XR on the runway’s centreline, settled my thoughts, concentrated, took a deep breath, raised my toes off the brakes, and carefully advanced the thrust levers 15cm or so, until I felt them click into the third quadrant detent, marked T/O. For a moment I thought I’d forgotten something, because for a second nothing happened as the engines’ FADECs fed them fuel at a gradual, surge inhibiting rate.

It took 11 seconds for the PW305As to reach their full rpm and 4600lb of thrust apiece, by which time we were already hurtling through 80kt – and still accelerating! Then, with the well muffled whine of two Pratt & Whitney Canada fans peaking at max revs far behind us, the seat back thumped me between the shoulder blades, hurling me bodily “

Onlookers later told me the outcome was spectacular – and clearly the result of an ex Jumbo pilot let loose on a much higher performance tool.

” forward along the runway. Pedalling extremely gently to guard against pilot induced lateral whiplash, I snatched a couple of glances at the speed tape. Its numbers reeled wildly, and the acceleration vector shot right to the top of the screen. After just 18 seconds and maybe 700 metres of ground roll, at 127kt Bombardier’s demo pilot, Marty Unrein, called ‘rotate’.

Remembering the heavy heave I had to exert on that Lear 35A long ago, I hauled the chunky, black, squared off yoke into my stomach to aim our nose heavenwards, transferring my gaze from the outside’s blurred bitumen to the primary flight display. While I was still re-focussing, Marty stopped my headlong overrotation at 20 degrees with a, “Whoa, that’s enough”, although the acceleration vectors were still marching up our screens.

Onlookers later told me the outcome was spectacular – and clearly the result of an ex Jumbo pilot let loose on a much higher performance tool. One problem was that, while a 747 doesn’t need much coaxing to float into the air at VR, this lighter aeroplane did require a firm, and yet carefully modulated pull to lift it off the deck. And I had over done it. Admittedly, for our demo flight we had only 1217kg of fuel aboard, the remnants after some ground running of what were originally full wing tanks (1270kg), enough for a little over an hour’s flight. With three male occupants, that took our weight to 8325kg or only 78 per cent of the 10,670kg maximum take off weight, so we were unrepresentatively light.

Onlookers later told me the outcome was spectacular – and clearly the result of an ex Jumbo pilot let loose on a much higher performance tool.

After cleaning up, a glance at the VSI showed well over 5000ft/min, and we soared past 4500ft just 62 seconds after breaking ground. Two minutes and 20 seconds later we were doing 250kt and passing no less than 16,500ft. Takeoff power is only permissible for up to five minutes, after which you must pull back the throttles one click to MCT (maximum continuous thrust).

The FADECs sort everything out for you as ambient and engine conditions change on your way up to cruise altitude.

We actually levelled at FL 250 just six minutes after lift off, so good is this machine’s performance, clicking the thrust levers back one more time, into their MCR (maximum cruise) detents. At this speed and climb angle, and with almost precisely a pound of thrust for every two pounds of airframe weight, I had to start the level off a thousand feet or more early, and with a positive push, because even this big power reduction causes no noticeable pitch change. Bombardier says the aeroplane will make FL 410 within 18. 5 minutes from a max weight takeoff and I fully believe that.

Yes, this thing’s a Leap jet! Despite its awesome performance, the aeroplane is comparatively quiet outside (and near silent internally, naturally). Bombardier claims that, with a flyover (thrust cutback) noise level of 70. 8 EPNdB, 83. 28 EPNdB lateral, and 87. 78 EPNdB on the approach, the Learjet 60XR is quieter than any other business jet in its class. I live half a dozen miles from the upwind end of Perth’s Runway 21 and, even at MTOW, this Learjet was almost inaudible as it passed overhead on its way to Jakarta. Why? Well at least partly because it was more than three times the 4000ft height of the airliners we usually hear, and already barely visible to my squinting eyes.

This, the latest iteration of the world’s first private business jet, was only launched last October. While instantly recognisable as a Lear, it is different in so many details from its earlier forebears. That super strong, eight spar wing still has 13 degrees of sweep and a near straight trailing edge, but it is now 19 per cent longer when compared to the Learjet 23 wing, with ‘longhorn’ winglets rather than tip tanks and an improved aerofoil. Those winglets give a five to seven per cent reduction in drag which enhances an already very fuel efficient aircraft, plus an improved climb rate. Indeed all the Learjet’s aerodynamics were refined in 1976 when the Century III stall speed reduction program was completed, and you can see copious external evidence of this all over the wing, which sports six fences, 24 triangular, vortex generating leading edge wedges and no fewer than 40 spanwise triangular cross section boundary layer energizers between the full chord fences bracketing the ailerons.

The area ruled fuselage is a traditional aluminium semi monocoque. Its twin, large, ventral delta fins increase the useful C of G range and improve stalling behaviour by generating vortex lift at high angles of attack.

This produces a strong nose down pitching moment, thereby avoiding the ‘deep stall’ condition. Controllability in the stall is also improved while the delta fins reduce stall speeds (and therefore approach speeds, thereby improving landing performance), as well as enhancing both pitch and yaw stability in normal flight. So now both the former anti Mach tuck stick puller and the stall recovery stick pusher have been dispensed with, while the originally mandatory dual yaw dampers have been reduced to a single, comfort enhancing unit, without which the aeroplane can fly quite safely and legally.

At 15,000ft and 210kt, Marty disengaged this yaw damper and encouraged me to test his aeroplane’s stability with a number of rudder doublets. After half a minute of deliberately, rhythmically and enthusiastically see-sawing the pedals, I was actually able to induce a gentle fifteen degree Dutch roll, but this damped out within 10 seconds and after just five cycles when I discontinued my assertive inputs – and this mishandling is something that would never happen in the real world.

Medium turns at cruise level are also easy, and without the slightest sign of buffet, Mach tuck under or any other handling difficulties.

Since the Learjet 60XR can reach flight level 410 so quickly, it is always above the majority of airliners, and normally climbs further to FL 430/450 after an hour or two in the cruise.

to assess a couple of ‘approaches to the stall’, but first, Marty insisted I took my feet off the rudder pedals and put them flat on the floor.

Trimming the aeroplane to 150kt, clean, I could see the lower part of my ASI column changing to red as it extended downwards from 124kt. With idle thrust, the Learjet decelerated nicely at one knot per second in level flight.

At 128kt, and with our nose 12 degrees above the horizon, we could clearly feel rumbling airframe buffet as the airspeed digits turned yellow, while the red warning column changed to alternate red and white. At 123kt the stick shaker started rattling, so I smartly shoved the throttles forward through those three clicks to takeoff thrust and, with the acceleration vectors shooting right off the top of our screens once more, the aeroplane powered away from the stall to regain 150kt in a mere 15 seconds.

Unfortunately, I had allowed our nose to drop below 10 degrees above the horizon and we lost some height, so Marty suggested I should repeat the exercise.

This time the buffet and rumbling began at 129kt, with the shaker firing at 125.

Thrusting the levers forward again while carefully pegging the PFD’s ten degree horizon line, I was amused (but hardly surprised) to see our nose swing enthusiastically leftward, accompanied by a lurch of roll as one engine spooled up ahead of the other.

It took a second to lift my feet back up from the floor to the pedals, by which time the other engine was rapidly winding up, but this yawing had that balanced on a pin feeling you so often get with swept wing jets at very low speed. I could see why a pilot induced yaw would not be a good thing close to the stall.

Nevertheless, less than 20 seconds later we were once more safely back at 180kt.

Bombardier says the full flap stall comes at 106kt, which seems about right.

Since the Learjet 60XR can reach flight level 410 so quickly, it is always above the majority of airliners, and normally climbs further to FL 430/450 after an hour or two in the cruise. It is certified up to a maximum of 51,000ft, which, while not an operational altitude, does confer a significant structural benefit because, in order to certify to this level, the pressure vessel must be structurally very robust to accommodate the necessary differential pressure.

Consequently, cabin altitudes between FL 410 and FL 450 remain at a low and comfortable 6300 to 7100ft respectively.

The Learjet 60XR’s normal cruise speed is 0. 76 Mach (which trues out at around 435kt) although the maximum range of 2365nm is achieved at the long range cruise speed, which is based on a pre calculated TAS for a given weight, temperature and altitude. Over a maximum range mission, an average of 0. 74 Mach (426kt) could be attained.

This puts Singapore within easy range of Perth, and just over five hours away.

In exceptional conditions, Marty told me that company demonstrators had flown non stop from Manaus (Brazil) to Fort Lauderdale (Florida) in 5:48 and New York to Los Angeles in 5:59 with acceptable VFR reserves, although these particular city pairs are a stretch for the Learjet 60XR. A Lear 60 is the current holder of the Wichita to Paris record for its class, set in 2001, of 8 hours 30 minutes at 505. 97 mph (including a 12 minute stop at Gander for fuel and coffee). More straightforward sectors are Sydney to Perth or Port Moresby¸ and it needs only one stop to most of Asia, two to the Middle East and three or four to Europe and the USA.

In 2007 Conklin & de Decker ascertained that, under standard conditions, the Learjet 60XR burns 6603lb of fuel between Sydney and Perth.

The Learjet 60’s area ruled widebody fuselage is the biggest among the Learjet family, and this new XR variant improves roominess through its redesigned interior, providing passengers with more space and better cabin functionality. The new layout gives better use of space and volume, plus greater flexibility in floor plans.

There are now five ‘standard’ optional floor plans, although the previous cabin layout remains popular among customers.

In-flight sound levels are very low in the cabin – indeed it is so quiet you can whisper to a neighbour, and those 11 generous windows let in plenty of light to reflect off the golden interior, which utilises lighter and brighter materials.

All six or seven passengers sit ahead of the small wing, and so have a great view, while the wing’s slight flexibility gives good bump absorption in turbulence.

Although claimed as a stand-up cabin, the ceiling is actually 1. 72m above the aisle, so my 1. 85m frame had to stoop a little. Nevertheless, walking around is easy, with both space and comfort comparable to, if not better than, the competition. Best of all was that lovely, warm, new leather aroma. Improvements include a reclaimed and newly available window in the lavatory, new cabin electronics with LCD touch screen controls, LED lighting, audio and 110v standard (220v optional) electrical outlets on all seats plus MP3 player plug in.

But back to work… Making my way back through the curtained doorway into the cockpit and stepping over that seat-to-seat centre console, I immediately recognised the familiar, comfortable and multi adjustable, industry standard Ipeco seats, with their five point Pacific inertia reel harnesses and drop down armrests. Regrettably, there is no sightline positioning aid, and when I felt my seat was correctly set, although I could reacheverything and had a good view, my left upper head grazed the cockpit’s tightly curved ceiling from time to time.

Although perhaps not as simple as the smaller Citations’, this Learjet’s cockpit is nevertheless straightforwardly laid out, and without the need for recourse to an overhead panel, which merely holds four air vents and a clip for the takeoff and landing data cards. Four big EFIS screens are spread across the light grey panel. In the middle are the standby instruments (also a multi information EFIS, but much smaller, called an ESIS), the digital fuel quantity indicator, an alternate radio head, the landing gear switch, cabin pressurisation controller and system test selector.

The Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics suite is common to Bombardier’s Challenger 605 and 300, and replaces the former Pro Line 4. It displays huge swathes of easily assimilated, pilot selectable information on the four large, 20 by 25cm, vertically orientated, high resolution LCD screens. These flightdeck EFIS screens are brighter, bigger, cooler and need much less power than the old CRTs. They are no longer strictly known as EFIS, but now IFIS, for Integrated Flight Instrument System.

In the USA only, these also support real time graphical weather displays, although their Jeppesen electronic charts do work worldwide. These plates feature a little magenta aeroplane taxying around the airport, exactly as we did. This aeroplane also appears on the approach charts – invaluable aids to situational awareness that almost makes things too easy. As I complained at the time, “With all this good stuff, anybody could be a pilot”.

Each PFD’s upper half displays all the normal flight instrument information, including that most useful of modern aids, the instantaneous wind vector.

Below this, on the screen’s lower half, and superimposed within the compass rose with its track and heading bugs, is a depiction of your route in magenta.

Among additional selectable information are: all other airways, weather radar returns (with each pilot independently and electronically selecting his own tilt angle from the Rockwell Collins Wx 850 radar), high terrain contours provided by the enhanced GPWS and TCAS sensed traffic. Above the IFIS screens is a pair of very useful angle of attack indicators, which I unfortunately repeatedly forgot to include in my scan.

Autopilot controls share the central glareshield with a 68 light warning and caution annunciator. Outboard of these are the fire handles, while immediately below them are the screen controls. Most system selectors, indicators and switches occupy a full width sloping lower sub panel, and the majority of circuit breakers are on symmetrical panels on the cockpit sidewalls, with the remainder at the outboard ends of the main panel. The APU’s control panel is on the right sidewall.

At the front of the centre pedestal is the thrust lever quadrant, flanked by the spoiler lever and APR arm switch.

Behind these are the emergency brake selector, engine synchronisation switches, park brake handle and flap selector. The console holds the nosewheel steering engage switch, instrument lighting controls, FMSs, fuel system controls and radio heads. A single Honeywell KHF-1050 long range HF radio with Selcal is now standard, with a second unit optional.

Regrettably, the EFIS/IFIS screens do not display system schematics or synoptics as those on many larger aircraft do.

The squared off control yokes have what are effectively coolie hat two axis trim switches for the aileron and dual motor stabiliser trims, but with an additional central button which must be depressed for these electric trimmers to run. The elevator trim generates a soft machine gun like electric audio tone every time you press it in the cruise configuration.

Each yoke carries a prominent red button called the control wheel master switch (MSW), which is used to interrupt uncommanded input from any of the electric trim systems and also as an emergency autopilot disconnect. There is also a button to clear the flight director bars off your screen, another to synchronise your bug with current heading, a lighted chart holder and finally a tiny PTT trigger hidden from view under the crooked tip of your outboard index finger.

Having finished our cruise segment, we practiced a high rate descent from FL 250 to FL 150 by bringing the thrust levers back to idle, extending the spoilers, and letting the resulting nose down pitch wind the speed up to 250kt (although VMO is 340kt below FL 200). Unlike earlier Learjet aircraft’s spoilers, these donot just have two positions, in or out, but can be modulated infinitely to vary your descent rate. I noticed 5700ft/min downwards before having to think about levelling off again. Marty showed me the smart way to do this, by squeezing forwards on the concentric yoke mounted trim switches as I gently stowed the spoilers, starting at 2000ft before our cleared altitude so we could level off gently.

Then we tried a few steep turns.

The Learjet’s ailerons are so light and effective that you would never know they were manual (albeit aided by geared servo tabs and brush seals), and give a Pitts like roll rate if you crank the yoke right around. Roll response is instantaneous, with a very low breakout force and fighter like roll rates instantly available, although the roll damping is so good that the moment you let go of the yoke, the roll immediately stops. Roll stability seemed to be absolutely neutral because tiny taps on that yoke resulted in equally small degree by degree increments of bank angle with the wings remaining in each position afterwards.

You expect large stick pressures for very small elevator movements in any jet, so I was not surprised to find the Learjet’s elevator (also manual) significantly heavier at speed in the cruise, although this is as it should be. A good, steady pull is needed to maintain height in a 60 degree banked turn, but Marty showed me the trick to holding your height, which is to place the top corner of the horizon’s square central box precisely below the five degree pitch line and keep it there with increased stick back pressure.

The rudder was even heavier, with a surprisingly small travel, perhaps only five to eight centimetres. However, as in most jets, this rarely matters because they are only used with an engine out or for pushing off drift on a crosswind landing, and an automatic electric rudder boost servo comes into play when pedal pressures exceed 50lb.

Fun and experimentation over, we got a descent clearance and direct routeing to Perth’s approach fix to intercept the Runway 21 ILS. Levelling at 2500ft and 210kt, I found the thrust levers quite sensitive around the required 50% N1 area. With comfortably high limiting speeds of 260kt for the landing gear and 250, 200 and 165kt (all marked on the neat quadrant) for flaps 8, 20 and 40 respectively, slowing this sleek and speedy machine should not present a problem, and so it transpired.

Once the area increasing single slotted Fowler flaps are away from the up position, the Learjet’s spoilers act differentially at yoke deflections greater than 23° to retain its high roll rate. But even with small roll inputs, on base leg and final I found myself rather tending to wing wag, thanks to those light ailerons, although a few hours practice would undoubtedly soon get me out of that bad habit.

for a gentle speed reduction on the three degree slope, while something in the high 50 with around five degrees of nose up pitch pinned our airspeed nicely on the 133 knot VREF once we were fully configured. Full flap (40 degrees) gives a big drag increase (plus a small nose down pitch change), so it is wise to add an appropriate fistful of power (say 60 per cent N1) as you call for it, to prevent sinking momentarily below the glide slope.

We had briefed for a touch and go, always an exciting procedure in a jet. In essence, I would close the thrust levers, land the aeroplane, lower the nosewheel and steer it with my feet, but the auto spoilers would not be armed, I would not use reverse thrust, and my heels would stay on the floor so I did not touch the brakes.

Meanwhile Marty would re-select the flaps to 20 degrees, reset the stabiliser trim and call “Set takeoff thrust”. At this I would once again push the levers forward through their three ‘clicks’ to the takeoff detent, return my right hand to the yoke, and rotate at his call, which would come at 125kt. With Perth’s Runway 21’s 3444 metres available, our ground roll would not be an issue.

As Marty pointed out on short final, since we already had an attitude of five degrees nose up, there would be no need to flare for a proper nose high touchdown. All I need do was to close the throttles slowly at the automated “50 foot” height call. Unfortunately, 40 years of being kind to my passengers resulted in a slight flare and float, but nevertheless our rather firm touchdown was not too far beyond the numbers, and the resulting touch and go went entirely as planned, for a rocket like climb back up to 5000ft and vectors for a visual approach and full stop landing.

This time I was squeezing back on the thrust levers long before we shot through 4000ft, and remembered to pitch down the nose positively, so our level off was under full control at 200kt.

After just 50 minutes of exposure, I was quickly getting the measure of this high performance ship, which says a lot for its excellent controls and the pilot/instrument integration, not to mention Marty’s superb tuition.

Our visual circuit went well, and this time I had enough spare mental capacity to squeeze off the few degrees of drift and push our nose straight. Since this was to be a full stop landing, the armed spoilers automatically deployed, preventing any skips and allowing me to lower the nose wheel to the tarmac and raise the reverser levers. After a second or so, their mechanical baulks retracted with an audible click and I was able to pull full reverse. In this sophisticated aeroplane, there is no need to modulate the power in reverse as you would in older types, for the FADECs do it automatically for you, and you can hear the fans gently winding down behind you as the airspeed decreases.

The Learjet 60XR’s quoted still air landing distance (that’s from 50ft/15m) is just 1042m at maximum landing weight (plus we had a 10kt headwind), so I didn’t need to use the brakes at all to stop in less than 1200m. If we had needed them, each wheel’s brake pack incorporates anti skid, and now has a third rotor for better energy absorption, apparently giving a one-third increase in braking power, although no account is taken of this in performance calculations. It does help with their replacement life though, and Marty says he’s seen the aeroplane stop in less than 1500ft on occasions.

As I stowed the reversers and turned us off the runway, he asked me what I thought of his new toy. My tape says it all, “What a lovely, lovely aeroplane. It’s a real performance machine!” Our hour long sortie (which was mostly at low level, and therefore rather unrepresentative of any normal operation) had used 672kg of fuel. With single point 55 psi pressure refuelling and external toilet servicing, the Learjet 60XR can be turned around quickly and efficiently, while its Hamilton Sundstrand T20G- 10C3A APU provides ground electrical power and air conditioning (although, unfortunately, it cannot be used in flight).

Other features include: multiple means of de-icing and de-frosting the multi layer curved acrylic windshields, triple Rosemount probes for ADC airspeed sensing, dual AoA sensors and dual ice detectors. Engine bleed air anti-ices the wing leading edges, nacelles and windshields, and is also used for windshield rain removal, while the horizontal stabilizer is de iced by cycling multi element electric mats.

The Learjet 60XR’s PW305As are derated to 4600lb from the 5225lb of thrust they are capable of. This is the same engine as the previous Learjet 60’s, and as well as full authority FADEC, they sport hydraulically operated Nordam target type thrust reversers as standard.

Almost all this aeroplane’s systems have many layers of redundancy. For instance, the wheels can be lowered normally by the 1500 psi hydraulics (with electrical signalling and three pumps, one on each engine plus an electric one), or blown down using an air bottle (separate from the brakes’ emergency bottle). If all else fails, the wheels will drop under their own weight.

Likewise, the fuel is routinely fed by ejector pumps, but backed up by electric ones, there is a secondary tail trim system, five different ways of illuminating the runway in the dark, dual 400 amp DC generators and an APU with a third generator (although this can only be used on the ground), three emergency batteries giving more than three hours of emergency avionics power; the list goes on and on. Bombardier has achieved a dispatch reliability (departure within 15 minutes of target) of 99. 6 per cent, thanks in part to improved reliability throughout the aeroplane. For instance, much internal and external lighting is now via longer lifed and cooler LEDs, rather than the earlier incandescent bulbs.

Once the Learjet 60XR’s turn around is complete, engine starting is as simple as in any modern jet, using the two electrical starter generators, and the after start, taxi and control checks are quickly completed.

After releasing the parking brake, we needed a tiny puff of thrust to get us rolling, immediately after which I had to make a 180 degree left turn. The digitally controlled rudder pedal steering is Since the Learjet lacks an autothrottle, it is very handy that the engines’ N1 read-outs can be displayed right at the top of the ND, within 5cm of the PFD, so that they can easily be brought into your scan. There is virtually no pitch change with engine power variations, only with speed increase or decrease, making it easy to fly speeds accurately, although the result occasionally fooled this Boeing conditioned pilot who still expects the pitch up from increased power to level off his descent for him.

Once you have programmed your destination airport and runway into the FMS, as you get closer it auto tunes your ILS, so that its inbound course pops up in blue (cyan?). With the autopilot engaged, all you need remember is to press the Approach button, and the aeroplane will intercept both localiser and glideslope, taking you to the airport.

This is all incredibly useful and makes the Learjet much easier to operate than previously, although it is still perhaps a professional pilot’s aeroplane rather than a layman’s aeroplane like the straight winged Citations.

Taking approach flap and landing gear down with the landing checklist as we turned final and intercepted the glideslope made for a slightly hectic few seconds, but the Learjet is stable and predictable, so that flurry of cockpit activity didn’t distract from the straightforward task of flying the aeroplane. Around 40 per cent N1 seemed an appropriate powervery light and nicely geared, and if you push really hard, it tightens up to give you an amazingly low radius turn, the aeroplane revolving almost within its wing tip. Being formerly used to a quite different category of jet, at first I found myself alternately cutting corners and swinging wide, but soon got the steering’s feel, finding it greatly superior to that on the old Lear Jet 35A.

BOMBARDIER
LEARJET 60XR

Powerplants
Two Pratt & Whitney
Canada PW305A turbofans
flat rated to ISA
at + 17°C producing
4600lb (20.5kN) thrust
Performance
(Manufacturer’s quoted)
SL Vmo 300kt
High speed cruise
0.81 Mach (466kt)
Typical cruise speed
0.76 Mach (435kt)
Long range speed
0.74 Mach (426kt)
Stall, full flap & gear
106kt
SL ISA TO dist @ MTOW
1661m
SL, ISA, landing distance
@ MLW 1042m
SL climb 4500ft/min
Maximum operating
altitude 51,000ft
Max range (IFR reserves,
ISA, 4 pax/2 crew)
2451nm (4539km)
Weights
Typical equipped empty
6891kg
Max takeoff 10,670kg
Max landing 8853kg
Max payload 826kg
Dimensions
Wing span 13.35 m
Wing area 24.57m2
Length 17.89m
Height overall 4.44m
Cabin length 5.39m
Cabin width 1.81m
(centerline)
Cabin height 1.74m
Manufacturer
Bombardier Learjet
www.bombardier.com.
Price: Featured aircraft
around US$14.5m

The brakes were also nice and progressive, providing you squeeze the pedals gently, with appropriate toe pressures and clearly more than adequate stopping capability. The reversers are routinely cycled during taxi out, giving me a chance to feel the baulks and assess the delay before full reverse is available (little more than a second, and instantly recognisable by a clearly audible ‘clack’). The spoilers are armed before takeoff, so they automatically deploy if the thrust levers are closed for a rejected takeoff (although there are no autobrakes). Similarly, the spoilers will retract if the thrust levers are advanced after touchdown during a landing. Twenty degrees of flap is routinely used for takeoff.

Since this is a modern, paperless flightdeck, all checklists come up on the screens, to turn green after being checked off, and there is no need to go rummaging around in the manuals for performance figures. Having programmed the expected runway and its SID into the FMS, the addition of ATIS data allows it to calculate the required field length and vital speeds.

In our case, with 10kt of headwind, near standard pressure and a temperature of 20°C, we needed just 1216m of Runway 21 with speeds of: V1 114, VR 126 and V2 134kt.

Minimum flap retraction speed was 154kt, and the single engine climb speed (clean) was 200kt.

At maximum takeoff weight in ISA, if an engine fails this Learjet should still climb away at an impressive 1240ft/min, which is more than some of today’s airliners can manage with all their engines still operating.

After arming the APR (automatic performance reserve – which, depending upon ambient conditions, coaxes up to seven per cent more power from the live engine if the other one dies – and can also be manually selected by pushing the thrust levers all the way forwards into their fourth detent) we are good to go.

Rolling takeoffs are standard in the Learjet 60XR. It never makes a standing start takeoff, applying power with the brakes set as you might do in a lesser jet, because it has so much thrust the wheels would simply be dragged, locked, along the surface, flatting, and possibly bursting the tyres. Yes, this is a high performance machine.

One item on the electronic checklist before takeoff check is: mobile phones – off. This usefully harks back to that predictive texting glitch, and reminds you to be prepared for this ‘Leap Jet’s’ performance! Both high speed and low speed handling have been greatly improved. Bombardier uses a fully configured Level D Learjet 60XR simulator at its Dallas, Texas, training centre for type conversion courses, so they no longer allow full stalls or engine out work to be conducted on a real aeroplane. Nevertheless, I was allowed