Mystery Airplane Contest
November 1, 2022
The iconic Learjet is one of the most well-known and
best-selling business aircraft in history. Bill Lear's design
was inspired by the Swiss FAA P-16 combat aircraft of 1955.
Proposed by Flug-und-Fahrzeugwerke to replace the Swiss
Air Force's piston engine aircraft, the P-16 flew in April
1955. After a series of accidents, further development
was abandoned.
Lear (1902-1978) saw the basic concept, particularly the wing
with tip tanks, as worthy of development into a small jet
transport. Initial design work took place at St. Gallen,
Switzerland, under the name of the Swiss American Aviation
C...
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