Story ID: 
Bombardier Prepares for Learjet’s 40th Anniversary
By: Gordon Gilbert
Caption: When Bill Lear visited Switzerland more than 40 years ago, he was introduced to the P-16 fighter and became especially captivated with the wing design.
Word Count: 117
When Bill Lear visited Switzerland more than 40 years ago, he was introduced to the P-16 fighter and became especially captivated with the wing design. That led to the design of the wing of the Learjet 23 and its first flight on Oct. 7, 1963. The rest of the story, as it is said, is history. The 40th anniversary of the first flight of the Learjet 23 falls, coincidentally, on the first day of this year’s NBAA Convention in Orlando, Fla. Bombardier is thrilled about this coincidence and it plans to celebrate the anniversary by doing “something very special.” Meanwhile, on May 4 Dassault Aviation celebrated the 40th anniversary of the first flight of the Mystére 20, patriarch of the Falcon family.