In 1973, when most business jets were lumbering tubes, Bill Lear introduced something different: the Learjet 35. It was fast — 850 km/h (459 knots) fast. It was sleek. It was the aircraft that made celebrities like Frank Sinatra and James Brown fall in love with private aviation.

The 35 wasn't just another jet; it was a statement. Arnold Palmer set a round-the-world record in a Learjet 36 (the long-range variant) in 1976: 57 hours, 25 minutes, 42 seconds covering 36,990 kilometers. This was an aircraft that turned heads on the ramp and in the sky.

The Engine That Changed Everything

The secret was the Garrett TFE731 turbofan — quieter, more powerful, and more efficient than the General Electric CJ610 turbojets on previous Learjets. The transformation was so dramatic that the prototype, originally designated Learjet 25BGF (Bill Lear's initials), became the foundation of an entire family.

Bombardier ceased production in 1994, yet over 500 Learjet 35s remain operational — more than 50 years after the first flight. These aircraft are the cockroaches of business aviation: simple, robust, and nearly impossible to kill.

Pre-owned examples trade between $500,000 and $1.2M — turboprop money for jet speed. Operating costs run $1,400 – 1,800 per hour — higher than modern equivalents, but you're buying history and simplicity.

The Learjet 35 is aviation's rock star — fast, loud, and eternally cool. It doesn't have the range of modern jets, or the avionics, or the efficiency. But it has something else: soul.

For the buyer seeking a Learjet 35, you're not acquiring an aircraft; you're joining a lineage. The jet that says speed never goes out of style, and that sometimes, the old ways are the best ways.