Bombardier Learjet 60 sets World Speed Record in Middle East

On Tuesday, the popular Bombardier Learjet 60 midsize jet set a world speed record in its class, flying Jeddah-Dubai non-stop, in 1 hour, 59 minutes. The flight is fully sanctioned by the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale (FAI).

Air traffic controllers in Jeddah and Dubai clocked the official take off and arrival times, which they will submit to the National Aeronautic Association (NAA), according to official procedure, in order to validate the record flight. Once validated, the NAA will submit the record to the FAI in Paris, France, for international ratification.

This is the second Learjet 60 aircraft record in just over four months. On September 21, 2006, another Learjet 60 jet flew Cape Town-Johannesburg, round trip, in two hours, 59 minutes. To date, the high performance jet has accumulated 13 world speed records over nine routes in five countries.

“The jet performed superbly as expected,” said captain James Sizemore, of ExecuJet Middle East, the aircraft’s operator. “We took off from Jeddah at 10h00, local time, and quickly climbed to 41,000 feet (12,497 m) to avoid turbulence and traffic. The aircraft handled beautifully throughout the flight and the time easily establishes a new benchmark for this trip.”

In customer service since July 2001, the Learjet 60 aircraft, owned by ExecuJet Aviation Group, cruised at Mach 0.81 throughout the flight, until it clocked-in with the Dubai International Airport tower at 13 h49min, confirming its impressive time and speed. The Learjet 60 aircraft landed just in time to co-star in a photo opportunity with Learjet 60 XR Middle Eastern launch customer Saudi businessman Ghassan Tabbah Shalabi, president of Inma Arabia Investment of Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

The Bombardier Learjet 60 XR – the next evolution of the proven Learjet 60 aircraft launched in November 2005, the Learjet 60 XR aircraft has a 2,451 nautical mile (4,539 km) range* and retains the extraordinary combination of value and high-speed performance of the Learjet 60, including outstanding climb capabilities, superior fuel-efficiency and low direct operating costs. The aircraft features an all-new Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics suite and restyled interior with increased legroom, optimized work areas, LED lighting throughout the cabin and state-of-the art audio-video system.

The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration granted approval for the new Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 avionics suite in October 2006. The first Learjet 60 XR aircraft is scheduled to enter service in the first quarter of 2007.

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