Actual range of the Lear 35 and 36

[Accent]

Once read that the 35 had an IFR range of around 1700NM, is this so, if so under what configuration, 2 passengers and baggage, 4 passengers and baggage, how about all seats full?

Also the 36, I talked to a Lear pilot the other day who said it was over 2,000NM, is this so and under what configurations would one get this type of range?

 

[Timebuilder]

In a 35, we have taken off from HPN with full fuel, several passengers, bags, and landed in South Dakota for refueling to finish at Jackson Hole.

I don't have a map handy, but its a pretty good distance, and we had much more than minimum landing fuel at S.D.

 

[banned username 2]

The 35's I flew could take off with full fuel (6,238 lbs), 8 pax and 400 lbs. of baggage and stay within the structural MGTOW limit...

I routinely flew the Lear 35a from Chicago to the west coast (LAX, SFO, SAN) non-stop landing with around 1,500 lbs at Mach 0.78... You could do this with 6 passengers and bags... Probably could do it with 8 pax, but it has a VERY small cabin and 8 people sitting in there for 4 hours wouldn't be much fun...

Hope this helps...

 

[Timebuilder]

So true.

Eight people in a Lear in the summer is no fun. The ac can't keep up with all the hot bodies, and that guy who ends up sitting behind me on the potty has a few dozen questions to ask. The aircraft does well, despite thae lack of cabin space. The 55 is so much more comfortable.

 

[JimNtexas]

I used to work with the Air Force "Faker" Lear 35s flown by Flight International and Phoenix Air. If I recall correctly, with 3 or 4 people and several hundred pounds of jammers they could go Keflavik to Goose Bay reliablty, a distance of about 1400nm. This was a major reason we wanted that particular airframe for our mission. The Air Defense airplanes at Kef were major customers for the Fakers.

 

[up frnt]

I used to fly from TEB to ASE in a Lear 35 on a fairly regular basis. 1501 nm great circle route. Actual distance was a little longer with SID out of TEB and being kept low to ETX VOR. We would land with 1400lbs after step climbing up to FL450. I do not miss the 4.5hrs in that small cockpit.

 

[Indapool]

Managed TEB-PHX a few times in the summer
cruised .75-.76
1850 nm if I recall
4 pax
light bags
sitting on 1000 lbs on touchdown

 

[Rick1128]

Distance is actually a misnomer. As you know because of the winds, distance will vary. Other variables will also effect the endurance. Things like the engines, technique, temperature, airframe, etc. The 35 is basicly a 5 hour aircraft and the 36 is 6 hours. I have gotten 5.5 out of a 35, but I had no TR's, it was a light airframe and straight. In the end each aircraft is different and you really have to fly it a few time to get a feel for what is ti capable of.

 

[Rick1128]

Wait until you get into a 36 with the R/X mod. 800 lbs more fuel. Now that is way too long in a Lear.

 

[HueyPilot]

C-21 ranges

Longest flight I can remember in a Lear 35 (C-21A) was MXF (Maxwell AFB, AL) to DMA (Davis-Monthan AFB AZ). We were also empty too. I flew from CHS (Charleston SC) to COS (Colorado Springs, CO). I've also flown from MSY (New Orleans) to MHTG (Tegucigalpa, Honduras). Problem with the USAF Lears is the mandatory minimum IFR reserves we're required to be overhead our destination with....1000 lbs. And most C-21 crews pad that by 200-500 lbs to keep from getting in trouble with the AF. I personally plan to be overhead my destination with 1500 lbs.

Flying anything over 2 hours in a Lear 30-series is painful. Longest I spent up front was about 4 hours.

 

[Indapool]

BLOCK TIME 6.1 AND LAND WITH 1200LB FUEL

oh dear GAWD NOOOO

 

[Timebuilder]

Flying anything over 2 hours in a Lear 30-series is painful. Longest I spent up front was about 4 hours.

I went out and got one of those inflatable donut pillows for the longer flights. You can't imagine how much better the Lear seat is with that little pillow on it. The 55 doesn't really need it, but the 35's sure do.

6.1 hours??? Hard to imagine.... ow......

 

[Hawker rider]

That donut-pillow sounds like a good idea.

Unfortunately me being 6foot5 doesn't quite make that a possibility. i am flying a 23 and24 now.......... that's a tight fit, especially since the 23 can go for a good 3 hours.....

I wish I had a 35 but i second the 36 comments, that'll be a little too long, imagine that too huh, only a potty-seat under the "jump"seat, must make for some interesting stories.

Can you imagine paying 25.000 bucks for a jet and having to take a dump in front of your employees or so???

 

[Timebuilder]

That pillow is under 15 bucks, and you only put a little air into it to get the best support. Try it. When compressed by your weight, it might add half an inch to the seat.

The most common 35 potty seat is the one that faces the door. There is a pull-out divider that gives the user some privacy, hiding him from the other passengers.

If you move all your Jepps out of the way (usually too many to put into those little shelves, so they end up on the floor behind the pedestal), there is a similar divider that will hide the user from the pilots. When used by someone, everyone is glad that the pressurization provides a continuous airflow through the plane to the outflow valves.

For all of the great points of design in a Lear, I always have to scratch my head about certain things, like the lack of a chart holder for the crew. Most people attach one of those spring clips to the yokes with a sheet metal screw. The other, most obvious flaw is those "spartan" seats.

 

[TurboS7]

Lear 35 solid 5 hours with a full load and reserves.(Landing with 800 lbs, tons in a 35) 36 7 hours with a full load landing with the same. The problem with the 36 is that there just isn't much room for "stuff" as half the aft cargo is taken up with a fuel tank. It is still cool to take a little airplane that far without any mid-air refueling.

 

[Hopeless_in_GA]

There is a company on the west coast that routinely flies it’s Lear 36 from Van Nuys to Hawaii and from what I’ve heard they do it year round to.

They also go too nonstop from VNY to LEX routinely and they have crossed the Atlantic several times in it as well.

 

[banned username 2]

Lear 35 solid 5 hours with a full load and reserves.(Landing with 800 lbs, tons in a 35)

YIKES!!! It used to take me a good hour to get the seat cushion out of my butt if I landed anywhere near 1,000 lbs. in the Lear 35... I think 800 lbs. remaining would require surgery...

Pucker Factor is high...

 

[HueyPilot]

Lear35 stuff

"When used by someone (toilet), everyone is glad that the pressurization provides a continuous airflow through the plane to the outflow valves."

Actually, the copilot gets the raw deal. There are two outflow valves in the Lear 35...the primary outflow valve, and the cabin safety valve. The primary is located near the copilot's feet up front, and the safety valve is on the aft bulkhead in the back of the cabin.

The primary valve is the one that's usually operating...the safety valve only opens when the cabin pressure differential reaches 9.7 psid, or if your squat switches are in the ground mode and the cabin air switch is off.

As for 800 lbs at your destination in a LR35....I agree, yikes! I flew to Travis AFB once, and the box said we'd arrive with 1200 lbs....we were sweating it, because all the nearby alternates weren't looking so good...Tahoe had heavy snow, Sacramento had thunderstorms, and SFO and OAK were also experiencing rain showers with intermittent t-storms. Looking back on it, we should have filled the trunk...at least then my gluteus maximus wouldn't have munched on the seat cushion as much...nothing like trying to get through some tough weather AND worrying about divert fuel.

 

[TurboS7]

With a Lear 24 and 25 landing with 800 lbs was company written SOP. Having that with a Lear 35 was more than enough. The government pays for all the Airforce bs in the real world they can be tough on you. If you landed with more than 1500 lbs you didn't fly again untill you had your little meeting with the Chief Pilot.

 

[501261]

With a Lear 24 and 25 landing with 800 lbs was company written SOP. Having that with a Lear 35 was more than enough. If you landed with more than 1500 lbs you didn't fly again untill you had your little meeting with the Chief Pilot.

Routinely landing with 800lbs. in a 25? Even a pretty "laid back" guy like myself goes YIKES!!!!!! Honestly, if I had to meet the chief because I put on an extra $100 worth of go-juice, I'd be out the door in a heart beat, I mean if the company is operating on such a small margin that they can't afford $100 of extra go-juice, what's going to happen at the next $100,000 "D" check?

I like to tell this story about "actual" fuel burn in a 25, I started an ILS into HOU, having 1800lbs at Parks (FAF). Shot the approach, no runway at DH, went missed, got an IMMEDIATE vector for an ILS into IAH, by the time we landed at IAH we only had 600lbs fuel remaining! The entire process from Parks to touchdown at IAH took less than 15 minutes!

Just something to think about in a real life scenario! Granted the 2 ILS approaches were fully configured (gear/full flaps) and we never got higher than 3000' on the missed/second approach!

Something else to think about, the ATIS at both IAH and HOU that day was reporting 2sm, 500 overcast in rain (typical summer shower). No problem to get in, right? After we landed at IAH we found out that the RVR went down to 800 due to heavy rain!