Anyone Drooling Yet?

FLYING A LEARJET 23 is not for the faint of heart.

After all, it has the same power as an F-5 supersonic fighter, is faster than commercial airliners and can climb to over 12,000 metres (40,000 feet) in just seven minutes.

"This jet goes all the way straight up and will pull three G’s on takeoff," said David McCulloch, businessman, entrepreneur, aviation expert and, most importantly of all, pilot.

And to think that the very first model sits on the tarmac outside the Truro Flying Club right now. Not surprisingly, local aviators and air cadets have gathered to drool over it.

Apparently, though, there is a price to be paid for such fun. And, no, I don't just mean the operating costs.

Mr. McCulloch admits this particular version of the Learjet, which must be flown with a co-pilot, had an abysmal safety record.

"This plane has a lot of critical areas and it can be a very challenging plane to fly," he said.

It has the manoeuvrability of a fighter jet but is absolutely unforgiving.

"Oh, no, it doesn’t forgive pilot errors, and of the 104 Learjet 23s built, more than half of them have had accidents over the years," he added.

Still, I have to wonder if it's not something Lex would care to take for a spin ... or two ...or three...

Gee, you think?