Bombardier to send LearJet 85 to NBAA 2014

Bombardier will give the new LearJet 85 its public debut at the 2014 NBAA convention next week in Orlando, Florida.

The aircraft will be the first prototype, or FTV1 (Flight Test Vehicle 1) as Bombardier call it.

FTV1 was the first LearJet 85 to be completed and rolled out from the manufacturer’s Wichita production facility. It is also the first LearJet 85 to fly, having completed the types first flight on April 9 2014.

The LearJet 85 is the first of the LearJet family to rely heavily on composite materials, with the manufacturer opening a composite manufacturing plant in Querétaro Mexico to work on the fuselage.

Announced at the NBAA convention in 2007, the LearJet 85 is designed to carry eight people up to 3,000 miles.

Bombardier had targeted entry into service in 2014, but the aircraft suffered several delays as Bombardier learnt to work with new technologies.

Following the aircraft’s first flight in April, Bombardier is yet to announce a new schedule for the aircraft, leading some people to believe that the aircraft remains a low priority to Bombardier, who are simultaneously working on its new flagship Global 7000 / 8000 aircraft.

As well as the LearJet 85, Bombardier will also give the Challenger 350 its NBAA debut, as well as displaying the full-size Global 7000 cabin mock-up.

You can watch Bombardier’s updated footage of the LearJet 85s first flight below: