The Birth of a Learjet Legacy
How an AIAA Paper Transformed into a Comprehensive Book
Tina Jet Precursor of the Lear Jet 23
Welcome to our first blog post on the new author website! Today, we want to share the story behind our book about the history of Learjet, which all started with an email on February 18, 2021.
The Email that Started It All
Gary Park received an email from Kevin Burns, the Chair of the History Track for the annual Aerospace Sciences Meeting (SciTech) organized by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics (AIAA). Kevin mentioned that 2022 would mark the sixtieth anniversary of Learjet coming to Wichita and suggested that it would be the perfect opportunity to present a paper on the History of Learjet Production in Wichita at the SciTech event.
Learjet’s Impact on American Aviation
Learjet has had a significant impact on American aviation, not just as a business or regional jet, but also in influencing generations of other aircraft and making pilots more aware of various stability and control problems through variable stability Learjets.
Collaborating on the AIAA Paper
Inspired by the idea, Gary reached out to Peter Hamel, who was enthusiastic about co-authoring the AIAA paper, which they titled “Sixty Years of Learjet.” As they worked on the paper, they quickly realized that the wealth of information they had gathered went far beyond the scope of a typical AIAA paper. So, they decided to rewrite the paper into a shorter version for the AIAA event.
Transforming the Paper into a Book
However, they didn’t want the detailed research and information they had initially gathered to go to waste. Peter took the lead in transforming the original content into a comprehensive book that delves deep into the history of Learjet. After negotiating with Springer International Publisher, they reached an agreement to print the book.
Join Us on this Learjet Adventure
Stay tuned for more blog posts, where we’ll share interesting stories, insights, and behind-the-scenes glimpses of the incredible journey of the Learjet. Happy reading!
Hamel, Peter G, and Gary D Park. 2022. The Learjet History. Springer.
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Gary and Peter:
It’s truly been rewarding to see your book get the highly favorable international attention it deserves. Your collaborative work will stand the test of time, and in the coming decades will continue to be the definitive resource for accurate information on all things Learjet.
Al Higdon, Wichita KS, USA
Learjet employee 1964-1971, outside public relations counsel 1972-1985