The Jet That Changed Everything

The Learjet 23 introduced speed and simplicity to private aviation, changing how leaders and visionaries chose to fly.

The Jet That Changed Everything
Credit: RobertNovell.com

In the autumn of 1963, on a clear Kansas morning, a jet lifted off the runway at Wichita Municipal Airport.

It was short, sleek and unapologetically fast. There were no speeches, no photographers, no marketing rollout.

Just an aircraft that few outside aviation circles had heard of, now cutting through the sky with silent conviction.

The Learjet 23 had taken flight, and nothing in private travel would ever be quite the same.