William P. “Bill” Lear was a prolific inventor with dozens of patents for a variety of machines to his name but is most famous for his work in the aviation field. He produced the Learjet, the first mass-produced business jet, and the Lear Fan, an innovative turboprop plane built from lightweight composite materials. He also helped to develop autopilot and automatic landing systems for jets. But his interests went beyond aviation: he is also known for being the inventor of the 8-track tape cartridge, the car radio, and innovative developments on turbine motors.

Born on June 26, 1902 in Hannibal, Missouri, Bill Lear had a humble background that would belie his later success. His father, Reuben Lear (1878-1955), a teamster and builder, struggled to support his family and had a tumultuous relationship with his wife, Gertrude Elizabeth Powell Lear (1884-1934), and they eventually separated. As a boy Lear taught himself things like electrical engineering and experimented on his own with building radio receivers. Though he never received a high school diploma, his childhood fascination with radios led to work in the field. He lied about his age in order to join the U.S. Navy at age 16. After a brief stint in the Navy and some early business partnerships, he founded his first company, Lear Radio Laboratories. During the Great Depression of the 1920s, Lear’s engineering savvy and business acumen provided him with great success at a time when others struggled. He invented the first practical car radio and the first radio remote control, the “Lazy Boy.” It was during this time that he also bought his first airplane, inspiring him to turn his sights toward flight navigation. Lear invented the Lear-o-scope which allowed pilots to navigate via radio. The Lear-o-scope was used by Amelia Earhart to help her fly from Los Angeles to Mexico City and from there on record-setting flights to New York and Washington, D.C. Lear continued to design navigational devices under his company Lear Avia Inc. with orders from airline companies all over the world.

By 1945 his company had transformed into Lear, Incorporated. Among their products was the Learecorder, cited by the New York Times as “the most versatile home musical reproduction machine ever built.” While the market for his music record and navigation equipment was limited, electromechanical sales kept the company afloat. Lear turned to developing autopilot systems determined to make flying, especially military flight, safer. This led to the development of the F-5 autopilot, for which he won the 1950 Collier Trophy. In the early 1950s, Lear bought a Lockheed Lodestar and massively redesigned it, renaming it Learstar. Its maiden flight was on May 10, 1954 and it was the first reconditioned aircraft to receive Civil Aeronautics Association certification as an airline transport plane. The Learstar was also the fastest twin-engine transport with the longest range under production at the time.

Lear moved his family to Switzerland in 1959 to break into the European market and successfully sold his automatic flight control system for use in Fokker, Fiat, Saab and Caravelle aircraft. Due to disagreements over the design of what would become his iconic Learjet with the Lear Incorporated board, he was forced out of the company in 1960. He then founded yet another company, Swiss American Aviation Corporation, originally based in Switzerland, to continue to develop the Learjet as he envisioned it. Just two years later, Lear renamed the company Lear Jet Corporation and relocated to Wichita, Kansas to build the Learjet which he dreamed would be a lightweight, efficient, and luxurious small business aircraft. The first flight was on October 7, 1963. Just after the Learjet Model 23 was FAA-certified and the company began trading publicly, Lear was inspired by a 4-track automobile dashboard-mounted tape player to improve on the technology, and began work on what would become the 8-track cassette player. His machine was smaller, simpler, and cheaper than the existing options. With new patents acquired, he marketed his radio-tape-player combination, striking a deal with RCA and Ford Motor Company. After selling Lear Jet Corp. to the Gates Rubber Company in April 1967, Lear moved to Reno, Nevada where he switched gears and turned to both land development and steam-powered cars, attempting to improve upon the combustion engine with a steam-powered design.

In his seventies by this point, he suffered from numerous physical ailments which brought on depression, affecting his business ventures. Despite flagging health and because of failures with his steam-motor endeavors, he turned back to aviation. In 1976, he struck a deal with Canadair to develop the LearStar 600, a small, long-distance business jet. Canadair bought the design and evetually renamed the aircraft the Challenger CL-600. Lear worked on the development of the Lear Allegro design, as an improvement on the LearStar 600, hoping to also enter a deal with Canadair. However, they had no interest in the Allegro and ultimately none were ever built. It was then Lear began work on the Lear Fan, a plane innovative because of its all-composite body, Y-shaped tail, and pusher-style propeller.

After three previous marriages and many affairs, Bill Lear had married Moya Olsen in 1942. Though she was not involved in his business at first, she “exerted a stabilizing influence on his volatile life.” In later companies, she held board and executive positions. With his health rapidly declining in the 1970s and the Lear Fan still in development, Lear set up a trust to ensure the continued development of the Lear Fan after his death. Lear eventually died from leukemia in Reno on May 14, 1978. Moya retained a role in the company, as Chairman of the Board, to ensure fulfillment of Bill’s vision. Despite the innovative design of the plane and further investments, the Lear Fan never received FAA certification or went into production.

Over the course of his life Lear received many awards. Among them were the 1950 Collier Trophy from the National Aeronautic Association; the Cresson Medal of the Franklin Institute of Philadelphia; the Frank M. Hawks Award for an outstanding contribution to aircraft navigation; the 1954 Horatio Alger Award; the Silver Medal of Paris in 1960; and the bronze Thulin Medal from the Swedish Aeronautical Society. While his varied career was full of ups and downs and not all of his ideas came to fruition, biographer Richard Rashke writes, “Lear’s contribution to general aviation…was significant. He and his engineers had pioneered generation after generation of instruments. But even more important, Lear almost single-handedly dragged the whole industry forward with him, challenging its concepts, expanding its horizons, forcing it to see his vision and to improve its products.”

Sources:

“Bill Lear.” Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, June 30, 2022. Accessed August 2, 2022. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_Lear.

Rashke, Richard. Stormy Genius: The Life of Aviation's Maverick, Bill Lear. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1985.

“William P. Lear.” Encyclopædia Britannica. Accessed August 9, 2022. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/333965/William-P-Lear.

Lear, Moya. An Unforgettable Flight. Reno: Jack Bacon and Company, 1996.

1902 June 26

WPL born in Hannibal, Missouri

1915 March 27

MOL born in Chicago, Illinois

1920 September

WPL joined U.S. Navy

1921 March

WPL received early honorable discharge from U.S. Navy

1922

WPL worked at Reed Motor Supply Co. as radio sales and repairman

1922 November

Quincy Radio Laboratories founded

1922 Fall

WPL married first wife, Ethel Peterson (1903-1995)

1924 January

WPL and Ethel Peterson's son William Powell Lear, Jr. was born (died in May 1924)

1924 Summer

WPL sold his half of Quincy Radio Laboratories to Julius Buerkin, was self-employed

1924

WPL moved to Chicago, Illinois

1925 January

WPL and Ethel Peterson’s daughter Mary Louise Lear (1925-2015) was born

1925

WPL worked for WLAL radio station

1926 October 4

WPL married second wife, Madeline Murphy (1908-1993)

1928 May 24

WPL and Madeline Murphy’s son William Lear, Jr. born

1928 Late

Radio Wire & Coil Co. started in Chicago, Illinois

1929 June 26

WPL and Madeline Murphy’s daughter Patti Lear was born

1930 November

Lear-Wuerful, Inc. founded in Chicago, Illinois

1931 Early

Lear-Wuerful, Inc. dissolved

1931 July

Lear Developments founded in Glenview, Illinois

1931

WPL purchased his first plane, a Fleet biplane (sold shortly after purchase)

1932

WPL sold Radio Wire & Coil Co. to Galvin Manufacturing

1934

WPL invented Lear-O-Scope radio direction finder

1936 February 16

WPL married third wife, Margaret J. Radell (1912-)

1936 circa

WPL invented Learadio R-3 receiver

1938 September

WPL and MOL meet

1939

WPL developed the ADF-6 (automatic direction finder)

1939 December

Lear Developments renamed as Lear Avia Inc. and moved to Ohio

1940

WPL invented Learmatic Navigator, won Frank M. Hawks Memorial Award for it

1942 January 5

WPL and MOL were married

1942 December 3

WPL and MOL’s son John Lear was born

1944 January 21

WPL and MOL’s daughter Shanda Lear was born

1944 August

Lear Avia Inc. renamed as Lear, Incorporated

1945

Lear, Incorporated relocated from Piqua, Ohio to Grand Rapids, Michigan

1947

WPL developed the C-2 autopilot

1948

WPL and MOL’s son David Lear was born

1948 circa

WPL invented Learecorder, Learophone, Lear Orienter

Lear, Incorporated acquired Romec Pump Co. (Elyria, Ohio)

1949 December

WPL received the 1950 Collier Trophy from the National Aeronautic Association for the F-5 autopilot

1954 May 10

Learstar business jet (reconditioned Lockheed Lodestar) made first flight

1954 October 14

WPL and MOL’s daughter Valentina “Tina” Lear was born

1954

WPL received the Horatio Alger Award

1955 Summer

WPL and MOL move to Geneva, Switzerland

1955-1956 circa

Lear SA established in Geneva, Switzerland and Lear Electronic GmbH established in Munich, Germany

1956

WPL and MOL completed flight into Moscow, Russia in Cessna 310

1960 April

Swiss American Aviation Corporation (SAAC) founded in St. Gallen, Switzerland

1960 October

WPL received the Silver Medal of Paris

1962 February

Lear, Incorporated merged with Siegler Corporation and became Lear Siegler; WPL forced out of the business

1962 August

Swiss American Aviation Corporation and Lear family relocated to Wichita, Kansas. SAAC became Lear Jet Corporation

1963 October 7

Learjet 23 (first model) completed first flight

1964

WPL invented the Lear Jet Stereo 8 (eight-track player)

1966 May

Lear Jet Corp. bought Brantly Helicopter Corporation

1966 September

Lear Jet Corporation changed name to Lear Jet Industries

1967

WPL sold controlling interests of stock for Lear Jet Corporation to Gates Rubber Company

WPL and MOL moved to Reno, Nevada

1967-1968 circa

WPL purchased land at former Stead Air Force Base in Reno, Nevada; established Leareno Development

1968 January

Titanium West, Inc. established in Delaware; authorized to do business in Nevada

1968 February

Turbo-Lear, Inc. founded in Reno, Nevada

1968 April

Dyna-Lear, Inc. founded

LearAvia Corporation founded

1968 August circa

Lear Motors Corporation founded

1968 December

Lear JeTravel established in Nevada

1969

Lear Jet Industries merged with Gates Aviation Co.; renamed Gates Learjet Corporation

1972 October

WPL received Elliott Cresson Medal from the Franklin Institute

1972

WPL received Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement

1974 March

WPL received Tony Jannus Award

1976

Lear Motors sold

WPL sold option to his LearStar 600 concept to Canadair and it became the Canadair Challenger 600

1976-1977

Development of the Lear Fan 2100 began

1978 May 14

WPL died from leukemia in Reno, Nevada

1978 May

MOL took over as Chairman of the Board for LearAvia Corporation and the Lear Fan project

1978 July

WPL inducted into National Aviation Hall of Fame

1980 circa

Lear Fan Limited formed

1980 December 32 (1981 January 1)

First flight of Lear Fan 2100

1981 August

WPL inducted into International Air & Space Hall of Fame

1981

MOL awarded honorary doctorate by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

1985 June

Lear Fan Limited shut down

1986

LearAvia Corporation closed

1988 January

MOL flew on Friendship One, an around-the-world-flight via a Boeing 747SP

1990

Gates Learjet Corporation bought by Bombardier, Inc.

1993

WPL inducted into National Inventors Hall of Fame

2001 December 5

MOL died

Moya Olsen Lear was a philanthropist, businesswoman, and the wife of aviation pioneer Bill Lear.

Moya Marie Olsen was born on March 27, 1915 in Chicago, Illinois to John Sigvard “Ole” Olsen (1892-1963), a famous vaudevillian, and Lillian Louise (Clem) Olsen (1890-1990). She attended Ohio State University for a single year and then studied shorthand and typing at Pace Institute in New York. In her own words, Moya worked as a “Girl Friday” (office assistant) for her father on his Broadway show, Hellzapoppin’. It was here, through her father's show, she met Bill Lear.

Moya and Bill's first meeting had been brief; Lear had come backstage at the 46th Street Theater one night, in September 1938, to offer his regards to Olsen for the evening's show and her father introduced the two. She wrote, "No angels sang. No bells chimed. No fireworks went off." It was just a quick greeting and they parted. However, on their second meeting on December 24th, 1938 Bill invited Moya out for a drink and their relationship took off.

Moya married Bill Lear in 1942, becoming his fourth wife. In spite of Bill's infidelities, she "loved Bill with an intense, unconditional love" and the couple had four children together (John, Shanda, David, and Tina) in addition to Lear’s children from previous marriages (Mary Louise, Bill, Jr., and Patti). Although Bill gave Moya a place as a board member for his various companies, she remained mostly only tangentially involved in his work during his lifetime, primarily acting as a welcoming, stable, and supportive presence to Lear and his partners, employees, and contacts. After Lear’s death, Moya was made Chairman of the Board of LearAvia Corporation, the parent company of Lear Fan, and attempted to take his final project, the Lear Fan, through completion and FAA certification, but was ultimately unsuccessful.

Moya was active in many philanthropic causes, particularly in the Reno, Nevada area where the Lears lived near the end of their lives, including serving on the boards of the Nevada Opera Association, the Nevada Festival Ballet and the Sierra Arts Foundation. She established the Bill and Moya Lear Foundation Scholarship Fund and used her Amelia Earhart Pioneering Achievement Award to fund scholarships for women majoring in aeronautical science at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, where she also established the Moya and Bill Lear Endowed Scholarship.

Moya received many honors, including her inductions into the halls of fame of such organizations as the Women in Aviation Pioneers, the United States Achievement Academy, Nevada Business Leaders and the Nevada Women’s Fund. She also received six honorary doctorate degrees: Doctor of Humane Letters from National University and University of Nevada, Reno; Doctor of Laws from Northrop University, Pepperdine University and Clemson University; and Doctor of Aviation Management from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. She was also the first winner of the Katharine Wright Memorial Award from the National Aeronautic Association in 1981.

Moya Olsen Lear died on December 5, 2001 in Washoe, Nevada.

Sources:

Lear, Moya. An Unforgettable Flight. Reno: Jack Bacon and Company, 1996.

"Memorializing Aviation Pioneer and Philanthropist Moya Lear." Nevada Legislature. March 26, 2003. Accessed November 18, 2020. https://www.leg.state.nv.us/Session/72nd2003/Journal/Senate/Final/sj052.html.

"Philanthropist widow of Learjet developer dies at 86." Napa Valley Register. December 7, 2001. Accessed November 18, 2020. hhttps://napavalleyregister.com/news/local/obituaries/philanthropist-widow-of-learjet-developer-dies-at-86/article_7ec9325e-a668-51c1-b877-82d1289d7aeb.html.

Rashke, Richard. Stormy Genius: The Life of Aviation's Maverick, Bill Lear. Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1985.

Established in 1922, Quincy Radio Laboratories (QRL) custom built and repaired home radios, sold related parts, and eventually built antennas.

QRL was founded in Quincy, Illinois by William P. Lear and businessman Julius Buerkin in November 1922. Buerkin financed the company and was president while WPL supplied the knowledge and ran the day-to-day business. The company hired Elmer Wavering to wire radios and Irving Johnson as manager.

QRL was an innovator in that it was the first to offer a public workshop. Customers could buy parts from QRL and then use the workshop area to build their radio. Additionally, the company was the first shop to offer home services, such as installation and repair and hook up of roof antennas, and to become a radio parts distributorship. In mid-1924, WPL sold his share of QRL to Buerkin and left the company.

Radio Wire and Coil Company was a company founded by William P. Lear in late 1928 in Chicago, Illinois that innovated coil design for radios. WPL had designed a more efficient frequency coil for radio than was currently being used. The radio industry had been using a "large coil two to two and a half inches in high and wide with one strand of copper wire around it." He cut the size in half by utilizing ten strands of enamel-coated Litzendrat wire and twisted them into a single silk-coated strand.

He also designed a coil-winder and a wire making machine. WPL then hired mechanic Melvin King to build both machines and placed Don Mitchell, an engineer and designer, in charge of production. WPL sold the company to Paul Galvin and Galvin Manufacturing (later known as Motorola) in 1931.

Lear-Wuerfel was a short-lived company that built radios and chassis for other manufacturers. William P. Lear and audio engineer Robert "Bob" Wuerfel formed the company in November 1930. The company operated in the Chicago, Illinois area. It ceased operations in mid-1931 when WPL and Wuerfel amicably parted ways due to a difference in interests.

Lear Developments manufactured direction finders and aircraft receivers and transmitters, such as the RadioAire, as well as B-battery eliminators for car radios. It also manufactured aircraft equipment, such as antenna reels and radio compasses, also known as automatic direction finders (ADF).

The company was founded in Glenview, Illinois by William P. Lear in July 1931. WPL hired Reeder G. Nichols, Warren Knotts, and Freddie Schnell as radio engineers; Norman Wonderlich as Vice-President; and John Wehner as chief engineer.

The company’s first major ADF success was the 1935 Lear-O-Scope, which was marketed for commercial pilots and was one of the early radio-based direction finders for aircraft. Also in 1935, the company shifted its focus from car radio components to the design, development, and manufacture of airborne radio transmitters, radio receivers, and radio direction finder equipment.

At the end of 1939, WPL sold a 49 percent interest in the company to T.S. Harris, an investor. Lear then changed the name to Lear Avia Inc. and relocated both himself and the company to the municipal airport in Dayton, Ohio.

Lear Avia Inc. was a manufacturer of aircraft radio and navigational devices in the early 1940s. The company grew out of Lear Developments when, in December 1939, founder William P. Lear got financial backing from his new investor and partner, T.S. Harris. The company relocated from Illinois to Dayton, Ohio near to Wright Field and eventually had a sales office in Los Angeles, California and research and development offices in New York, New York and Santa Monica, California.

In 1940, WPL hired Richard Marsen, an engineer and patent attorney, to develop a patent program for the company and run the New York laboratory. He also hired Richard “Dick” Mock as a sales engineer to help with the marketing and sales of Lear Avia products.

Lear Avia manufactured and sold aircraft radio and navigational devices, including the Learmatic navigator, as well as aircraft-related equipment like the “fastop” clutch, gearing components, actuators, motors, and screw jacks. Near the end of World War II, Lear Avia was without any set products to manufacture, and competition from companies such as General Electric, Bendix, and RCA was squeezing Lear Avia out of its previous niche. WPL pressured Harris to retire so in 1944 Harris sold his company shares. Immediately after this, WPL moved the company, which had started as a “marginal 40-man operation,” to Grand Rapids, Michigan and changed its name to Lear, Incorporated; a publically-owned company that now employed approximately 4,000 workers.

Lear, Incorporated was an aircraft radio development and electromechanical equipment manufacturing company operating from 1944 to 1962. In October 1944 Lear Avia Inc. became Lear, Incorporated and was moved from Piqua (near Dayton), Ohio to new headquarters in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

Like Lear Avia, Lear, Inc. primarily focused on aircraft radio development and manufacture. However, Lear, Inc. also built electromechanical equipment for aircraft, such as screw jacks, motors, actuators, automatic controls. In addition, the company aimed to “break into the home radio business and to create a national appetite for wire voice recorders.” However, post-war shortages caused problems for Lear, Inc. so in mid-1948 the company phased out its home radio including the Learecorder. The company continued to produce automatic direction finders and a line of VHF transmitters and receivers, including the VHF Learmatic navigator.

In early 1947, the company developed the C-2 autopilot for the U.S. military. However, the military was beginning to move to jet fighters. The C-2 was designed for a piston engine fighter so was not compatible with the control system of jets. WPL and his team, including engineer Nils Eklund, redesigned the C-2 autopilot into the F-5 autopilot, suitable for jet control systems, in just four months and won a multi-year production contract. The F-5 was not only an autopilot, but also included components which made blind landings safe. WPL was awarded the 1950 Collier Trophy for the F-5 autopilot.

In 1948, the company acquired Romec Pump Co. based in Elyria, Ohio. Romec primarily built pumps of all kinds and after the merger Lear, Inc. began making submerged water injection pumps for several aircraft manufacturers and airlines, including the Boeing Company, British Overseas Airways, North American Aviation and Pan American Airways. Additionally, a new hangar was completed at the Grand Rapids facility for experimental work as well as installation of aircraft radio and automatic pilots.

Also in 1948, Dick Mock was elected president, replacing WPL, who remained chairman of the board and director of research and development. In 1950, the company moved its research and development offices to Santa Monica, California. It was here that the new Aircraft Engineering Division of Lear, Inc. began with the conversion of the Lockheed Lodestar to the Learstar.

WPL hired Gordon Israel as chief engineer. Israel had previously worked for Stinson Aircraft, designing the Stinson O-49; and Grumman Aircraft, designing jet fighters. He also hired Ed Swearengen as a designer, Benny Howard as a consultant, and Clyde Pangborn as chief test pilot. The Learstar made its maiden flight on May 10, 1954. Several months later, it became the first reconditioned aircraft to earn certification. The first Learstar was delivered in February 1955 to British American Oil Company Limited. Due to fiscal issues, Dick Mock sold the Aircraft Engineering Division to Pacific Airmotive Corporation in November 1956 and Learstar production closed down.

Another significant product developed by Lear, Inc. was the Lear Integrated Flight Equipment (LIFE), manufactured in the late 1950s for commercial airlines. LIFE displayed information on two indicators instead of four, making the pilot’s work safer and simpler.

Two smaller companies were established circa 1955-1956 as Lear, Inc. subsidiaries: Lear SA, located in Geneva, Switzerland and Lear Electronic GmbH, in Munich, Germany. Lear SA built receivers to assist in blind landings and Lear Electronic GmbH built automatic direction finders, gyros and fuel pumps.

In 1959 Al Handschumacher replaced Dick Mock as president of Lear, Inc. In that same year, WPL began the process of designing a corporate airplane. However, the Board of Directors did not want the Lear name associated with the new aircraft design for fear of upsetting investors, nor would they allow company finances to be used on WPL’s private endeavor. Thus, in 1960, WPL created a new company, based in Switzerland, solely to build his executive jet aircraft: Swiss American Aviation Corporation (SAAC).

Due to multiple concerns and conflicts in business approaches, WPL was eventually forced out of Lear, Inc. When Siegler Corporation approached the company about a merger, WPL was persuaded to sell his shares to Siegler by his friend and board member Dick Millar. Millar’s argument was that WPL could use those funds to finance the new corporate aircraft he was designing. WPL agreed and in February 1962, Lear, Inc. merged with Siegler Corporation and shortly thereafter, WPL was no longer a part of the company.

The Swiss American Aviation Corporation built the SAAC-23, a private jet designed specifically for corporate flight. Its design was influenced by the FFA P-16 aircraft.

SAAC was founded by WPL in April 1960 and was based in St. Gallen, Switzerland. In 1962 WPL named Buzz Nanney, previously a security consultant for Lear, Inc., as General Manager of SAAC. Due to a variety of issues, the company was relocated to Wichita, Kansas in August 1962. At the same time, SAAC changed its name to Lear Jet Corporation with the SAAC-23 renamed as the Lear Jet Model 23.

SAAC affiliate company Aviation Development, Inc. was also established by WPL and contributed in the design, engineering, supervision of manufacturing of the SAAC-23. The company was under the direction of Hans Studer.

Established in 1962, Lear Jet Corporation built the Learjet, a small executive transport jet, as well as the 8-track player.

In August 1962, William P. Lear’s company Swiss American Aviation Corporation changed its name to Lear Jet Corporation (LJC) and relocated from St. Gallen, Switzerland to Wichita, Kansas. The SAAC-23 designed by SAAC became the Learjet Model 23.

The prototype Learjet Model 23 (N801L) made its first light on October 7, 1963 but a few months later, on June 4, 1964, N801L was destroyed, without injuries to crew, in a “forced landing” due to pilot error. Shortly after that, on July 31, 1964, the Model 23 was FAA type certificated. The first delivery of the Model 23 occurred on October 13, 1964 to Chemical & Industrial Corporation located in Cincinnati, Ohio. The FAA awarded the Model 23 its production certification, for highest quality control standards, on September 28, 1965. The Learjet Model 23 earned many achievements and set multiple records, including a successful 10 hour, 17 minute transatlantic flight from Wichita to Frankfurt, West Germany on April 17, 1965 and three speed records on May 21, 1965 when a Model 23 flew from Los Angeles to New York and back to Los Angeles in 10 hours and 22 minutes. LJC’s aircraft division announced two new models in October 1965; the Learjet Model 24 and the Lear Liner Model 40 “for airlines and business markets.”

In early 1963, WPL became interested in the Muntz 4-track car stereo player. He began to work on improvements but eventually started the design process over, resulting in the invention of the 8-track player by the fall of 1964. Lear and his team also designed cartridges specifically for the 8-track player. In February 1965 Lear Jet Corporation formally established the Stereo Division to produce 8-track players and cartridges, in Detroit, Michigan. Meanwhile, the Wichita-based Industrial Division restructured to become the Avionics Division.

In 1966 the company rebranded to Lear Jet Industries and bought Brantly Helicopter Corporation (as a subsidiary), although it was sold off circa 1968. The Learjet Model 25 debuted in 1967. In April 1967, due to the company’s financial struggles, WPL sold his controlling shares of stock to Gates Rubber Co., although he still continued to serve on the Board of Directors. He and MOL resigned from the board in 1969 when the company merged with Gates Aviation 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. In 2021, the company issued an announcement to end production on all Learjets.

William Lear Enterprises (WLE) was likely formed as an affiliate or subsidiary to one or more WPL-initiated companies to support their business activities. It was established circa 1967 and based in Reno, Nevada. No further information is known.

Turbo-Lear, Inc. was a subsidiary or affiliate of Lear Jet Corporation in the area of jet engine manufacture. The company also supported other Lear companies, including Lear Motors Corporation and Dyna-Lear, Inc. It was established in February 1968 by WPL and based in Reno, Nevada. No further information is known.

Leareno Development (LD) was responsible for the commercial and industrial development of land formerly used as Stead Air Force Base near Reno, Nevada. Its responsibilities included issues related to water usage and other natural resources in the area in the late 1960s. It was established in 1967 or 1968 when William P. Lear purchased the land.

Officers of the company included WPL as Chairman of the Board, Gian Carlo Bertelli, Lear's son-in-law, as President, and James Sweger as Vice President. The company was dissolved in 2006, per Nevada records.

Lear JeTravel was a small commuter airline established in northern Nevada by William P. Lear in 1968. Its inaugural flight was on December 5, 1968 and was piloted by WPL. Jill Van Ness served as stewardess. Prominent passengers included then-Governor of Nevada Paul Laxalt and Mrs. Laxalt as well as Dean Phillips, a banking executive.

Morgan Hettrich was made general manager and chief pilot, though he served as co-pilot on the airline’s first flight. Phil Mench, who had previously worked for Bonanza Air Lines and Air West, was hired as sales manager.

The airline offered twice daily service, seven days a week, from Reno Municipal Airport to Hollywood-Burbank airport, with a fleet of two aircraft, likely Learjets although confirmation has not been found, capable of carrying six to eight passengers. It is unknown how long the airline was in existence.

Titanium West, Inc. developed, manufactured, and marketed titanium products and produced titanium sponge. It was established in early/mid-1968 by William P. Lear and based in Delaware although it was licensed to operate in Nevada. The company had a plant on the Leareno property.

Company officers included Joseph L. Wosser, Jr. as President, Moya Olsen Lear as Vice-President, and Ronald Blanc as Secretary. It was sold to the Whittaker Corporation, circa 1972. No further information is known.

Dyna-Lear, Inc. was incorporated in April 1968 by William P. Lear. Information about its operations is unknown.

Lear Motors Corporation (LMC) developed and successfully tested a steam turbine engine for passenger cars and transit passenger buses and also developed brushless motors and deep-well pump/motors. The company was established by William P. Lear in 1968 on land formerly used as Stead Air Force Base, Nevada.

In 1968, WPL hired Hugh Carson as chief engineer and Ken Wallis as an engineer specifically tasked to build a steam-powered race car for the Indianapolis 500. Wallis built two engines, Delta and Delta II, but after Delta II exploded in 1969, WPL became frustrated and fired Wallis. The car was built but never participated in the Indy 500, although it was displayed at the New York International Car Show in 1969. WPL and his team were also simultaneously working on a steam-powered passenger car. After the failure of Delta II the steam project stumbled for a bit until June 1970 when LMC signed a contract with the State of California to build a steam-powered passenger transit bus. LMC then ran two engineering teams; one for the steam bus and one for steam passenger cars.

By September 1970 LMC had developed a 30-pound, single wheel steam turbine. Ed Cole, General Motors president, gave the company a transit bus to test the engine. The company held several successful public demonstrations of the Lear Vapor Turbine Powered Coach, which used “Learium,” in 1972. In the fall of 1972, WPL took the steam bus to Washington, D.C. with the goal of gaining millions of dollars’ worth of funding. However, LMC was given just under $1 million by the EPA. Shortly after, on January 26, 1973, LMC completed a successful first drive of a steam-powered 1971 Monte Carlo. WPL was the inaugural driver.

In 1974, WPL named his son-in-law, Gian Carlo Bertelli, as president of both LMC and Leareno Development. Other officers of LMC included WPL as Chairman of the Board and Delos W. Hood as Vice President. However, Bertelli left in 1975 after disagreements with WPL regarding business decisions and finances.

Despite successful demonstrations and lower emissions than standard combustion engines, WPL lacked outside funding and had already spent about $15-17 million of his own money on the steam turbine project. After failing to gain support or additional funding from the federal government or other corporations, such as General Motors, the project was terminated around 1974-1975. Lear Motors Corporation was sold in early 1976.

LearAvia Corporation developed and manufactured a variety of avionics products as well as three aircraft from the late 1960s through the 1980s.

Established in April 1968 by William P. Lear, LearAvia Corporation (LAC) was headquartered in Reno, Nevada at the site of the former Stead Air Force Base, alongside Leareno Development and Lear Motors Corporation, other companies Lear established at the same time. Their products included the Learjet sound suppressor, a helicopter muffler system for the Bell 47 series helicopters, and the Lear Charger, a portable battery charger for recharging 6-, 12-, or 24-volt batteries. Additional products they manufactured include the AFC-75, a yaw damper, a battery temperature indicator, a cabin temperature control unit, a nose wheel steering system, an altitude data system, and a synchroscope. LAC operated an aircraft service center, an aviation instruction training school, and a helicopter leasing/charter service.

In addition to avionics products, LAC also developed three aircraft: the LearStar 600, the Lear Allegro, and the all-composite turboprop Lear Fan 2100. In 1976 Canadair bought the design and production rights to the LearStar 600 and eventually changed the name to the Canadair Challenger. The Allegro, designed in 1977 as an improved version of the LearStar 600, was never built due to lack of interest from Canadair. It was followed by the Lear Fan program which began in March 1977. The Lear Fan 2100 was WPL’s last aircraft design and was briefly known as the “Futura” and possibly the “Finesse” prior to being named the Lear Fan 2100.

Work was not complete on the Lear Fan before WPL’s death from leukemia in May 1978. Per his wishes, his wife Moya Olsen Lear took over the project with assistance from other Lear personnel.

LAC’s company structure and hierarchy was complex and is not always clearly outlined by supporting documentation. According to internal documents, LAC had at least three subsidiaries to support Lear Fan production by April 1980 including Lear Fan Limited, based in Belfast, Northern Ireland and Stead, Nevada; Lear Fan Corporation, based in Stead, Nevada, and Lear Fan Sales Limited, based in Stead, Nevada. However, additional documentation states that another related company, Lear Fan Corp., based in Delaware, was a subsidiary of Lear Fan Ltd., itself a subsidiary of LearAvia Corporation. Eventually Lear Fan Corporation (Nevada) and Lear Fan Corp. (Delaware) formed the Lear Fan Research Limited Partnership.

Company officers for LAC included WPL as Chairman of the Board until his death when MOL took over and Kenneth Kramer as Vice President (who had also served as Executive Vice-President for LearAvia, Lear Motors Corporation, and Leareno Development.) After WPL’s death, Sam Auld and Maxine Zimmerman served as President of LearAvia at different times.

Additional identified company officers for the various entities included former Vice President of Operations at LearAvia Corporation William Surbey as President and CEO of Lear Fan Corporation and J. Sheldon “Torch” Lewis as Vice President of Sales for Lear Fan Sales Limited. By September 1982, Lear Fan Limited was no longer a subsidiary of LAC, having incorporated on its own with Bob Burch serving as Chairman and President. In 1983, LAC sold its interests in LFL to a large group comprised mostly of foreign investors, Fan Holdings, Inc., for whom Burch also served as Chairman and President.

LAC was in bankruptcy by the end of 1986 and ceased operations.

Established as an affiliate of LearAvia Corporation in April 1968 by William P. Lear in Reno, Nevada, Microcom, Inc. designed and produced an advanced line of avionics, including the AFC-70 autopilot. In late 1972, Microcom, Inc. was absorbed into LearAvia Corporation. No further information is known.

Initially established in 1977 as a subsidiary of LearAvia Corporation, Lear Fan Limited (LFL) developed and produced the Lear Fan 2100, an all-composite, twin engine “pusher” business jet.

In 1976-1977, the Lear Fan aircraft design and development was begun within LearAvia Corporation. Circa 1980, Lear Fan Limited was established as a subsidiary of LearAvia Corporation, with funding from the British government, to build and sell the Lear Fan 2100, an all-composite aircraft designed by WPL and his team. After William P. Lear’s death on May 14, 1978, Moya Olsen Lear took over as Chairman of the Board of LearAvia and helped guide the Lear Fan program in its efforts to attain FAA certification and commercial production.

Briefly called both the “Futura” and “Finesse” prior to the Lear “Fan” 2100, the initial prototype (E-001/N626BL) completed its first flight on December 32, 1980 (January 1, 1981), a date created by the British Government to secure funding good only until the end of 1980.

Development and certification proved expensive and money was always in short supply. Lear Fan Limited restructured again in 1982 as Fan Holdings, Inc., this time with funds from the British government and an investor group, Zoysia Corporation. However, due to continued problems attaining FAA certification and financial strife, Lear Fan Limited filed for Chapter 7 liquidation and closed its operations in early June 1985. Only three prototype aircraft were ever built and flown. The first prototype was numbered N626BL, using WPL’s birthdate of June 26th and initials for “Bill Lear.” The second prototype was numbered N327ML using Moya’s birthdate and initials. It was later changed to N21LF. The third prototype was designated N98LF.

The company restructured as Lear Fan Technology Inc. for possible buyout after the shutdown of the Lear Fan program. The end result is unclear but it appears as many assets as possible were sold and proceeds were divided amongst the nearly 500 creditors listed on the Chapter 7 filing.

Lear Siegler, Incorporated was an avionics manufacturing company that began in 1962 after a merger between Lear, Inc. and Siegler Corporation.

Siegler Corporation was initially incorporated in December 1950 as Siegler Heating Company. After a merger in 1954 its name changed to Siegler Corporation. In early 1962, Siegler Corporation and Lear, Inc., Bill Lear’s aircraft radio manufacturing company, completed a merger becoming Lear Siegler, Incorporated (LSI). After that point, Bill Lear was no longer associated with the company.

Siegler President John G. Brooks became LSI’s Chairman and CEO. In 1964, he also served as President, a position he held until his death from a stroke in 1971. LSI was an early conglomerate with several acquisitions, initially focusing on the areas of aerospace-technology, automotive parts, and industrial-commercial manufacturing.

Due to the merger, the former Lear, Inc. Grand Rapids facility became the Instrument Division of LSI and corporate headquarters were relocated to California. The Instrument Division developed precision electronic instruments for aircraft, missile guidance systems, and space vehicles. Its primary product lines were aircraft reference, navigation and communication instrument systems; radio navigation systems; weapon delivery systems and ground support equipment. Their instruments were used in the U.S. space program, including on Gemini and Apollo missions.

During the 1980s, product highlights were performance data computer systems and the flight management computer system. In 1986, the Instrument Division merged with Avionic System Division to form Lear Siegler, Inc., Instrument and Avionic Systems Corporation. A year later it was sold to Smiths Industries, a British aerospace and industrial products company.

As of 2014, LSI still existed as a part of URS Corporation.

In April 1967, William P. Lear sold his controlling shares of stock in the Lear Jet Corporation to Gates Rubber Co. 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.

Established in 1944, Canadair Ltd. was an aircraft manufacturer and was initially owned by the Canadian government. In 1946, the controlling interest of the company was bought by the Electric Boat Company and the two companies became General Dynamics. The Canadian government acquired Canadair Ltd. from General Dynamics in 1976, but ten years later it was sold to Bombardier, Inc. for financial reasons. Bombardier, Inc. was able to stabilize its financial issues and it remains a component of Bombardier Aerospace, a division of Bombardier, Inc.

Originally a division of Gates Learjet Corporation, Static Power Inc., a subsidiary of Gates Rubber Co., manufactured power supplies. Sam Auld served as President. No further information is known.

The Lear Archives came into existence as a result of early work by William P. Lear's secretaries and associates to retain all manner of items related to William P. Lear's work that they considered significant. Although its official start date is unknown, the Lear Archives really began to take shape in the early 1990s, when Vicki DeVine and Sheila Story organized the many boxes of materials that had been saved for years. In 1998 John LaFountaine and Susie Lyles, later joined by Greg Moe and Chamea Tausch, led efforts to create a website, exhibits, and continue the acquisition, organization, and preservation of materials. The exact end date of the organization is unknown, but is likely just prior to the donation of the William P. and Moya Olsen Lear papers to The Museum of Flight in June 2000.