Aircraft
Event To Benefit First-delivered Lear Jet Restoration
The event will commemorate the 60th anniversary of the first Lear Jet Flight
The wingless Lear 23-003 sitting behind a podium
Lear 23-003, the first Lear Jet ever delivered, will be a centerpiece in Wichita this weekend as the non-profit Classic Lear Jet Foundation holds an open house/dinner fundraiser to help pay for its complete restoration. Two other milestone Lears will be on display in the former Lear Jet delivery center on the Bombardier campus along with a collection of company memorabilia. The ticketed cocktail party/dinner will feature speakers who were closely related to the airframer, its history, and its aircraft. (Photo: Classic Lear Jet Foundation)

In celebration of the 60th anniversary of the first flight of the Lear Jet 23, the Classic Lear Jet Foundation—which is working to restore the first delivered example of the type (23-003)—is holding an open house and fundraiser this Saturday in Wichita at Building 14 at Bombardier’s complex.

The building served as the Lear Jet delivery center until production ended in 2021 and Bombardier has donated space to house the foundation’s recently acquired 003 during its restoration to flight status. It will be there, bookended by the last Lear Jet to be delivered and a Learjet 55 once owned by the late comedian Johnny Carson.

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