Learjet 55
The Learjet 55 "Longhorn" is an American business jet manufactured by Learjet.
Development and design
The Learjet 50 series was first announced at the 1977 Paris Air Show with larger cabins than existing Learjets. The series was to have three variants, the Learjet 54, 55 and 56 but only the Learjet 55 was built. The Learjet 55 was a low-wing cantilever monoplane with NASA-developed winglets. The aircraft has a T-tail and is powered by two Garrett TFE731 turbofans mounted each side of the rear fuselage. It has a retractable tricycle landing gear and an enclosed cabin for up to ten passengers and a cockpit for the two crew. Construction of the Learjet 55 began in April 1978 after extensive testing and work on the wing design which came, initially, from the Learjet 25. The Learjet 55 first flew on 19 April 1979. The first production aircraft were produced starting 18 March 1981. In total, 147 Learjet 55 aircraft were delivered.Variants
;Learjet 54;Learjet 55
;Learjet 55B
;Learjet 55C
;Learjet 55C/ER
;Learjet 55C/LR
;Learjet 56
;VU-55
Operators
Accidents and incidents
- On 31 January 2025, Med Jets Flight 056, a Mexican-registered Learjet 55 operating as a air ambulance by a Miami/Mexico based Jet Rescue Air Ambulance with six people on board crashed near Roosevelt Mall in Philadelphia, at the intersection of Bustleton and Cottman Avenues, 40 seconds after takeoff from the Northeast [Philadelphia Airport] at 6:06 p.m. EST. The pediatric patient and her mother were en route to Tijuana International Airport in Mexico via Springfield-Branson National Airport, northwest of Springfield in Greene County, Missouri, after a medical procedure in Philadelphia Shriners Hospital. All 6 occupants onboard the aircraft and 2 people on the ground were killed in the crash.