Learjet 60 blank illustration templates

The side profile of the Learjet 60 is one of the most interesting aircraft side profiles I have ever illustrated. Don’t get me wrong – I’m not declaring it to be the best looking. Not by a long shot.

All I’m saying is that it’s pretty neat when you start looking at all the little details (of which there are many). And if you stand back a few feet and squint your eyes, it even starts looking like a rowdy nitro-powered model rocket.

As I said: interesting!

Side view templates of the Learjet 60 business jet

In general, business jets are a lot easier to illustrate than commercial airliners. The primary reason for this is because of how simple they are. Most components (wing, landing gear, engines, etc) aren’t anywhere near as complex, and I can generally produce a set of illustrations in half the time. It didn’t quite work that way for the Learjet 60.

The Learjet 60 is a more visually complicated business jet compared to, say, a Bombardier Global 7500. There are scoops and cuts and flaps and blends all over the dang thing, and it took me a while to get everything right.

Overview

Although the Learjet 60 is a lengthened version of the Learjet 55, it’s easy to mistake it for a scaled up version of the Learjet 45 IMHO (with some tweaks of course). Many of the design elements are the same – which I will highlight below.

• It was produced from 1991 through 2012.
• A total of 430 airframes were built, making it the third most produced Learjet (behind the 35 and 45 – which were by far and away the most popular models).

Perhaps the most notable thing about the Learjet 60 is the fact that it was (and is) a notoriously dangerous airplane. To this day, it has the highest number of landing incidents compared to its competitors. I say again: interesting!

Design details

The most obvious thing about the design of the Learjet 60 (to me anyway) is the fact that it’s unmistakably “Learjet.” The design language is very clear, and there’s no mistaking this for anything else.

• The most obvious Learjet design element (one that carries across most models) is the shape and size of the cockpit windows. The 60 featured the same cockpit window design as most of its predecessors.
• The blade-like slats protruding from the fuselage just below the vertical stabilizer are unmistakably “Learjet” as well. The ones on the 60 are very large – to the point of looking like secondary horizontal stabilizers.
• The design of the landing gear seems to be common as well. From a visual perspective, at least.

Other design details worth noting:

• The Learjet 60 is technically classified as a “medium sized” business jet. A point I find a fascinating considering how small it looks in my illustrations (without any other point of reference).
• The way that the wings connect to the fuselage is complicated (in typical Learjet form). It’s more of a blend than it is a simple attachment, and it was difficult to illustrate in a way which looks convincing.