Wapakoneta in Auglaize County, Ohio — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Learjet Sets The Standard

Photographed By Craig Doda, December 2, 2023

1. Learjet Sets The Standard Marker

Inscription.
History of the Learjet Corporation
William Lear, born in Hannibal, MO, in 1902, was inspired to build a small private jet by considering a 1950s era prototype Swiss jet fighter. He founded the Learjet Corporation in Wichita, KS in 1963.

Lear's first private jet, the 23 model, first flew in 1963 and went into production in 1964. Lear's jets became instantly popular in Hollywood, Frank Sinatra being one of the first celebrities to own one.

Gates Rubber Company of Denver, CO, merged with Learjet in 1967. Canadian company Bombardier purchased Gates Learjet in 1990. Many models were produced over the years, from the 20 series through the 70 series. The last Learjet produced, the 75, rolled off the assembly line in 2022.

Image: Dean Martin (left) and Frank Sinatra (right) are seen standing outside of Sinatra's Learjet 23, nicknamed the Christina II. Courtesy of Getty Images.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • Industry & Commerce. A significant historical year for this entry is 1902.

Location. 40° 33.804′ N, 84° 10.383′ W. Marker is in Wapakoneta, Ohio, in Auglaize County. Marker is on Apollo Drive north of Saturn Drive, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 1402 Bellefontaine St, Wapakoneta OH 45895, United States of America. Touch for directions.

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At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Life After Apollo 11 (here, next to this marker); Armstrong Sets World Records (here, next to this marker); The Journey Of This Jet (here, next to this marker); Learjet 28 Longhorn (within shouting distance of this marker); Explore the Skylancer (within shouting distance of this marker); F5D Skylancer (within shouting distance of this marker); Cpl. Christian Schnell (within shouting distance of this marker); Wapakoneta (within shouting distance of this marker). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Wapakoneta.

Photographed By Craig Doda, December 2, 2023

2. Learjet Sets The Standard Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on December 23, 2023. It was originally submitted on December 13, 2023, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. This page has been viewed 40 times since then and 7 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on December 13, 2023, by Craig Doda of Napoleon, Ohio. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.