Skip to main content Skip to search Skip to search results

Archives at The Museum of Flight


Gates Learjet Corporation (1969-1987)

 Organization

Historical Note

In April 1967, William P. Lear sold his controlling shares of stock in the Lear Jet Corporation to Gates Rubber Company. He resigned from the board in 1969 when the company merged with Gates Aviation Co., a subsidiary of Gates Rubber Co., to become Gates Learjet Corporation. In 1987, Gates Learjet was acquired by Integrated Acquisition and the next year the name was changed to Learjet Corporation. In 1990, Bombardier Aerospace purchased the Learjet Corporation and rebranded the company to Bombardier Learjet. As of 2021, an announcement to end production on all Learjets had been issued by the company.

Found in 4 Collections and/or Records:

Robert Bryant Collection

 Collection — Box: One
Identifier: 2019-06-17
Content Description The Robert Bryant Collection is a small collection consisting of textual and visual materials related to Bryant's career working for Boeing, Northrop, Lear Fan and other aviation companies. The materials are organized by company and format. Related to Boeing, the collection includes a request for proposal on systems and equipment for the Supersonic Transport Program, a 700-series decal, and a handbook on advanced composites. Materials related to Lear Fan include administrative...

Series V. Lear Jet Corporation, 1960-1974, 1984-1989, 1991-1992, 1999, undated

 Series
Scope and Contents: Lear Jet Corporation Series V: Lear Jet Corporation (LJC) primarily documents the development, production, and distribution of the Learjet Model 23 and Model 24, small and fast executive transport jets, with a lesser degree of coverage about the Lear Liner Model 40. Additionally there is a relatively small amount of information about LJC’s Stereo 8 Division, which designed, developed, and produced the 8-track audio tape cassette player for home, automobile, and personal use. The bulk...

Series XV. Personal, 1910-2002, undated

 Series
Scope and Contents: Personal The Personal series consists of materials related to WPL’s and MOL’s professional lives but which are not directly tied to any of the companies. The series is divided into four subseries: William P. Lear, Moya Olsen Lear, Lear Family, and General. Each of these has been further broken down and are clarified below. Materials are generally, but not always, arranged by date, with undated items at the...

Series XVI. Related Companies, 1961-2000, undated

 Series
Scope and Contents: Related Companies The final series of the collection is Related Companies. The focus is primarily on companies that were originally founded by WPL but due to mergers or sales lost their direct affiliation with WPL’s companies. The exception is the final series, Lear Archives, which maintains a direct connection to WPL and his career. The Related Companies series has been divided by company, which are listed in chronological order of their existence and connection to Lear...

The Museum of Flight | 9404 E. Marginal Way South | Seattle WA 98108-4097 | 206-764-5874
Contact us with a research request
curator@museumofflight.org