Aircraft
Group Looks To Bring First Delivered Learjet Back To Flight
The Classic Learjet Founding is working to acquire and restore Learjet 23-003, the first of iconic aircraft to be delivered.
Lear 23-003 in Wichita at its delivery in October 13, 1964.
Lear Jet 23-003, the first of the long line of Lears to enter service, was delivered on October 13, 1964. (Photo: Classic Learjet Foundation)

It can certainly be argued that the Learjet is the progenitor of today’s multi-billion dollar business industry. When the first of the sleek, speedy Lear 23s was delivered in 1964, it immediately gained acceptance from celebrities and captains of industry alike and established a market for private jet aviation, elevating the name Lear Jet into the public lexicon as an icon of new travel freedom and privilege.

Lear 23-003—the first of the type to be delivered—has now found its way back to its Wichita birthplace, where an ambitious program to return it to flight status has begun. At the same time, it is in the process of being acquired by the Classic Learjet Foundation (CLF), a non-profit organization founded by former and current industry employees with the goal of restoring 003 to its condition when it was handed over in 1964.

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