2005 HQ Lear 45 Flightcheck

8/10/2019 2005 HQ Lear 45 Flightcheck

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hen I flight tested theBombardier Learjet45 five years ago the

aircraft was in the middle of along, tough certification pro-cess. In my opinion, the air-plane had some negatives. Interms of range and payload youcould only board 3 to 4 passen-gers with full fuel, which was aconcern to many potential cus-

tomers. The original steer-by-wire system needed improve-ment and the brakes were notideal.

Bombardier has successfullyaddressed these concerns. I was

looking forward to anotherflight test of the aircraft andlearning about recent Learjet45 product modifications.

Aircraft development

The Learjet 45 program waslaunched in 1992 with first flightOct 7, 199532 years to the dayafter Bill Lears first flight of theLearjet 23. FAA certified the air-

craft in 1997 with RVSM certifi-cation following in 2000.

Bombardier began deliveringLearjet 45s in 1998 and recentlydelivered its 200th unit. List priceof a Lear 45 is $9.84 million with

first available delivery positions68 months out.

Learjet Dir of Public RelationsDave Franson explains that thedesign objective for the model 45was to maintain Learjet perfor-mance while eliminating theproblems of the Learjet 35 interms of handling characteristicsand maintainability. Today, the45 seats 89 passengers and fliesfurther than any other aircraft in

102 PROFESSIONAL PILOT / August 2002

FLIGHTCHECK

By Clay LacyATP/CFII/Helo/Sea. GulfstreamII/III/IV, Learjet and Citationseries, HS125, Boeing 747and 25 misc type ratings Learjet 45s structural design includes a 47.78-ft wingspan and a 57.60-ft external length.

Maximum operating altitude is FL510. A pair of Honeywell TFE731-20 engines power thelight business jet, with each producing 3500 lbs of thrust.

Honeywell Primus 1000 withEICAS/EFIS, Universal UNS1CFMS, 2 Honeywell TFE731-20sgiving 7000 lbs takeoff thrust.

Learjet 45: $9.84 mil, M.81,9 seats, 2100 nm, up to FL510

PhotocourtesyBombardier

W

(LR) Lacy and Learjet Dir ofFlight Ops Bob Agostino perform

low-speed maneuvers before

their approach to ICT (Mid-Continent, Wichita KS).


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its class. Certified to FAR Part 25,Amendment 77, the 45 is typeapproved in 36 countries.

Learjet 45 originally had a19,500-lb MTOW but the man-ufacturer increased it to 20,500

lbs, which was the weight of the air-craft I flew. After months of researchand man-hours of paperwork,Bombardier has won FAA certifica-tion for a 21,500 MTOW for theLearjet 45 with no added power or

structural change requirements.The 21,500-lb MTOW, APU-

equipped Learjet 45 will carry 7passengers at 1400 lbs payloadwith full fuel, while a non-APU-equipped airplane transports 8 pas-sengers at 1600 lbs payload. This isa significant and welcome im-provement over the original model45. The latest gross weight im-provement should change the per-ception that the Learjet 45 does nothave adequate range and payload.Bombardier is claiming a max IFR

range of 2102 nm.

Walkaround

The Learjet 45 is a relativelycompact aircraft with a length of57 ft 7 in, a 47 ft 9 in wingspanand a height of 14 ft 2 in. The highaspect ratio, fully cantilevered,swept-back wings with winglets areof riveted construction with theexception of the upper portion ofthe winglets, which utilize a hon-eycomb core bonded to the outer

skin.Avionics racks, an oxygen service

and a pressure gauge are accessedthrough a forward nose door.Learjet Dir of Flight Ops BobAgostino pointed out the single-point refueling access door locatedon the fuselage below the rightengine pylon. You can fuel the 45in approximately 7 min at up to 55-psi pressure. Theres also a gravityfuel filler access door on the upper

right side of the fuselage. Doorslocated on the forward outboardside of each engine nacelle provideaccess for oil servicing.

The Learjet 45 is powered by 2Honeywell TFE731-20 turbofanengines producing 3500 lbs ofthrust each. The turbofans areequipped with clamshell-type DeeHoward TR5045 thrust reversers.Tandem, trailing-link main landinggear is fitted with carbon brakes

guaranteed for 1100 landings.I was impressed with the 45s

spacious baggage compartment,which passengers and crew canaccess through a 33-in-widehinged door on the port side.Pressurized luggage capacity is 51cu ft with no C of G restrictions andtheres another 15 cu ft of internalluggage storage. The tailcone door,located aft of the right engine, pro-vides access to electrical, environ-mental, hydraulic and engine fireextinguishing system components.

Ive always liked the Learjetclamshell entry door and the model45 offers a comfortable 30-in doorwidth. Our flight test aircraft had astandard double club seatingarrangement, a spacious aft lav, anice forward galley and a 10.4-inflat panel forward-bulkhead-mounted LCD screen for displayingAir-show video and DVD inputs.

Cabin height, at 52 in from theflat floor, is adequate, although notstand-up for most people. But Ialways remember what Bill Lear

said when people asked him whyLearjets did not have stand-up cab-ins: Remember, you cant stand upin a Cadillac either.

Access to the left seat is easy andI was impressed with the Learjet45s flightdeck. It is larger than theLearjet 35 with better visibility.Seats and armrests are comfortable,controls are within easy reach and Ilike the electrically adjustable rud-der pedals.

Our aircraft was equipped withdual Universal Navigation UNS1CFMSs, Honeywell EGPWS, TCAS IIand a MagnaStar digital phone sys-tem. Glareshield controls, muchlike those on modern airliners,were well thought out. The stan-dard Honeywell Primus 1000 inte-grated avionics suite includes 4large 8 x 7-in EFIS screens.

Flying the Learjet 45

After engine startup, which wasstraightforward, Agostino and I tax-ied out for takeoff on 19R at ICT(Mid-Continent, Wichita KS). Ourtakeoff weight with 3610 lbs offuel and 2 passengers was 17,900lbsor 87.3% of the aircrafts20,500-lb MTOW.

During taxi-out I was impressedwith the 45s improved steer-by-wire system, which is smooth andresponsive. For low-speed groundoperations, 60 of steering authority

on either side of center is available.As groundspeed increases, maxi-mum wheel deflection is reducedto zero. I tried a couple of 360s ontaxi-out and found that this air-plane really turns tightly on theground.

With V1, Vr and V2 of 105 kts,112 kts and 121 kts, respectively,we had a balanced field length of3714 ft at our weight. Agostinosuggested a standard climbout at270 kts to Mach 0.70. We climbedto FL330 with a couple of level-

offs.At FL330 I did a couple of 60

bank turns. Agostino and I thentested the Learjet 45 roll disconnectsystem. In case of jamming, theailerons may be disconnected fromthe pilot control wheel. After dis-connection, bank angle is con-trolled from the pilot control wheelby the spoilerons.

With Agostino holding his controlwheel hard right, representing

PROFESSIONAL PILOT / August 2002 103

(LR) Learjet Dir of Flight Ops Agostino (L) looks on as Lacy holds an artificial ice shape used to test the aircrafts aerodynamics during its FAAcertification process. Agostino points out the Learjet 45s external power connector port. Agostino explains the operation of the bizjets trailing

link landing gear and brake-by-wire systems.


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about 2/3 of the 18 max ailerondeflection, I turned my controlwheel hard left. It took me less thanhalf spoilers to fly level and I wasable to roll the aircraft into a 45bank in the opposite direction ofailerons using the spoileron roll dis-connect system. As the spoiler sys-tem is totally fly-by-wirelike onthe Lockheed Martin F16 fighterthere is little feedback from the

controls when using spoilerons.We tested the Learjet 45s manual

pressurization system and main-tained a sea level cabin to FL260and a 3300-ft cabin at FL330.Although we did not climb aboveFL330, Learjet 45s have an inher-ently large buffet boundary enve-lope, so even at FL450 you can do60 banks with ease.

Agostino suggested we try a mod-ified emergency descent. Withspoilers out, engines idle and speedincreased from 230 kts to 300 kts,

our rate of descent pegged out at6000 fpm. The 45 comes down in ahurry. It only took us a minute or soto descend to FL240 where wewere cleared down to 16,500 ft andcancelled IFR.

Agostino then had me reducethrust for some slow-speed and stallwork. At Mach .48, or about 139 ktsindicated, I did some 45 banks andthe airplane handled them well.

Slowflight characteristics are

wonderful. Our first approach tostall was in clean configuration withstick shaker at 103 kts and full aero-dynamic stall at 97 kts. Aero-dynamic buffet was gentle with nopitch down or wing drop. Withflaps 40 and gear down and aweight of 16,850 lbs, we experi-enced stick shaker at 100 kts andfull aerodynamic stall at 91 kts.Again, even with full aft stick, we

never broke into a nose-down atti-tude.

Heading back to ICT, Agostinoand I entered the circuit for 19R toperform a series of 4 landings. Forour first landing, I did a normaltouch-and-go at a Vref of 110 kts.Even at Vref, if you hold off, the 45tends to float.

After a quick pattern we plannedan approach with a max brakingeffort stop. Using flaps and spoilersbut no thrust reverse, we stopped injust 1500 ft. Coming around again, I

set up for a no-flap landing at a Vrefof 132 kts at our approach weightof 16,741 lbs.

Brakes have been improved

On the 1st landing I deployedspoilers and used heavy braking butno thrust reverse. For the 2nd land-ing we used brakes with reverse.The brakes on the 45 work so wellthat a no-flap landing is absolutely

no problem. In emergency brakingmode you still have 92% of normalbrakingeven with an inoperativeantiskid system.

Our last landing was with maxi-mum braking and thrust reverse to aturnoff on a taxiway about 1500 ftdown the runway. Getting out ofthe airplane I checked the brakesand detected no noticeable heat.

The 45 truly has brake overkill.Learjet 45 Diagnostic ProductSpecialist Peter Levy hooked up alaptop computer to the 45s diag-nostic system after the flight toshow us how easy it is to downloadinformation in real-time from vari-ous databases. This simple diagnos-tic procedure gives the operator agreat overview of the aircrafts sys-tems on a spreadsheet. Levyexplained that these 2nd-generationdiagnostic capabilities allow Learjet45 operators to reduce downtime

and trim maintenance costs.

System simplicity

The Learjet 45 features a cabinwith an oval-shaped cross-section,measuring 19 ft 9 in from the flight-deck divider to the aft pressurebulkhead. A simple fuel systemconsists of 2600 lbs in wing tanksand 1000 lbs in fuselage tanks. Fuelis supplied to engines via engine-driven fuel pumps, jet pumps and 2DC standby pumps.

A 3000-psi hydraulic pump oneach engine provides hydraulicpower for operating the wheelbrakes, landing gear, flaps, spoilersand thrust reversers.

An electric aux pump providesbackup power to the main hydraul-ic system to operate landing gear,flaps and brakes only. The landinggear is trailing-link with the dualmain gear wheels common to allLearjets, nosewheel steering and abrake-by-wire brake control withindependent antiskid systems on all

4 wheels.Ailerons, rudder and elevator are

controlled manually throughcables, bellcranks, pulleys andpush-pull tubes. Two engine-drivengenerators supply a DC electricalsystem. Two main batteries and anemergency battery supply power forengine starting and essential avion-ics.

AC electrical power is suppliedby 2 engine-driven alternators for


AtlantaLos Angeles

AnchorageDawson city

Whitehorse

Juneau Chesterfield inlet

Vancouver

Montreal

Quebec

Seattle

Medellin

San Francisco

Portland

Iqaluit

Georgetown

San Juan

CaracasCartagena

Quito

Panama city

Managua

Boston

New York

Havana

Wichita

Ranges from Los Angeles Wichita Atlanta

Bombardiers depiction of the Learjet 45s operating radius from various US cities.


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windshield heating. The cabin envi-ronment is regulated by electroni-cally controlled air conditioningand pressurization systems.

The environmental control system

uses bleed air supplied from theengines or APU. An optional freonair conditioning systemabout 160lbs installedis available in placeof the optional Honeywell RE100APUabout 250 lbs installed.

Learjet 45s Honeywell Primus1000 integrated avionics suite fea-tures 4 8 x 7-in EFIS displays, fullengine indicating and crew alertingsystem with synoptics and an inte-grated UNS1C flight managementsystem. The standard Learjet 45flightdeck also offers Honeywell

Primus 660 weather radar, dual airdata computers and dual fiber opticattitude heading reference systems.The aircraft is fully Cat II certifiedand RVSM capable.

Popular options for the Learjet 45include an auxiliary power unit,dual FMS, TCAS II and EGPWS.More than half of all Learjet 45 buy-ers order APUs, Bombardier says.

Purchase price of a Lear 45include training slots for 2 pilotsand two maintenance technicians.Warranty coverage is 5 years on the

airframe, avionics and vendoritems, 5 years or 2000 hrs on theengines and 2 years for paint andinterior furnishings.

DOCs are down

Direct operating costs on theLearjet 45 now run $849.45 per hr,according to Franson. A 5-yearSmart Parts program is available at$54 per hr and the Honeywell

maintenance service plan is avail-able at $101.69 per hr, per engine.

Recent reductions in maintenancerequirements include an overalldecrease of approximately 20% in

inspection man hours over each2400-hr primary inspection cycle,plus a reduction of approximately40% on 300-hr 12-month inspec-tions. With these figures in mind,Bombardier says maintenancedowntime is thus reduced by 2 daysat each 300-hr inspection event.

A potent package

All in all, the Learjet 45 success-fully combines the best of traditionalLearjet performance with a large

cabin and easy handling character-istics. Id like to see more range,however. Improvements notwith-standing, the twinjet does not flyany further than the Learjet 35 itreplaced.

Still, the challenge is understand-able when one considers todaysrequirements for APUs, large cabinvolume, sophisticated integratedavionics suites and complex cabinentertainment systems.

But aside from the challenges ofexpanding range, Bombardiers

improvements to the Learjet 45 areimpressive. As long as you dont

PROFESSIONAL PILOT / August 2002 105

Learjet 45 specifications

Price

Basic equipped ($ mil US) $9.84

Powerplants (2) HoneywellTFE731-20

Thrust at takeoff 3,500 lbs

Dimensions

Wingspan (ft) 47.78External length 57.60External height 14.13Internal cabin length 19.75Cabin max width 5.12Internal cabin height 4.92Baggage (cu ft) 65Total volume 410Normal seating, crew/pax 2/9

Weights and loading

MTOW (lbs) 21,500Zero fuel weight 16,000Basic operating weight 13,695Max payload 2,367payload full fuel (lbs) 1,954Max fuel load (lbs) 6,062

Performance

Balanced field length(SL, ISA, MGTOW) (ft) 4,350Landing distance (SL)@max landing weight (ft) 2,660

Max operating altitude (ft) 51,000Pressurization dif PSI 9.4Max range, IFR, ISA (nm) 2,102High-speed cruise (kts) 464Normal cruise speed 457

Figures supplied by Bombardier

(L) The Learjet 45s Honeywell Primus 1000 integrated panel includes four 8 x 7-in EFIS displays, a Universal UNS1C FMS and a HoneywellPrimus 600 weather radar. Aircraft are delivered RVSM capable. Other options include a second Universal FMS, Honeywell EGPWS and TCAS II.(R) A double club passenger configuration is the aircrafts most popular seating arrangement.

Clay Lacy, founderof Clay LacyAviation at VNY(Van Nuys CA), isa highly-experi-enced pilot whohas been perform-ing flightchecksand writing for

Professional Pilot since May 1997.


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live on either coast youre likely tohave nonstop capabilities with fullpassengers anywhere in the conti-nental US. Range and payload arethe best in its class, operating costsare low and the aircraft is easy tofly. I think Bill Lear would havebeen proud of what Bombardierhas done with the model 45.


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2005 HQ Lear 45 Flightcheck