Sebastian_G wrote:
As the engines seem to have enough power this weight limitation comes from the coffin corner? Is it actually not possible to climb or is there some POH limitation regarding the weight so you have enough reserves to actually make turns etc. at FL510?
We observe the climb tables. It may be possible to climb earlier, but I didn’t check. In general it is very delicate.
Frans wrote:
What about customs and immigration checks on the trip? Can you just skip all at your fuel stops until the USA? Are USA still very strict on checks, like when one would arrive in a SEP from the Bahamas or is it more “relaxed” and “customer friendly”?
I would describe Iceland and US as relaxed. Canada, while friendly, checks a lot of stuff. They require vaccination, PCR, ArriveCAN application, phone call before departure, will check your luggage compartment and ask questions.
Sebastian_G wrote:
But it is quite a job to control all the traffic from an iPad or similar.
Probably the best way would be to gateway anything using the connection via a firewall system that is set up with a default deny policy, and have the HTTP proxy running on the system that allows only specific URLs.
Great report, something quite different than flying a SEP. Thanks! 
What about customs and immigration checks on the trip? Can you just skip all at your fuel stops until the USA? Are USA still very strict on checks, like when one would arrive in a SEP from the Bahamas or is it more “relaxed” and “customer friendly”?
loco wrote:
I pay a monthly subscription of $150 for the Gogo WiFi. That includes 40MB. I try to fit into that, so only Golze ADL and iMessage from time to time. Most of the time it is switched off. For some trusted charter clients I enable it and then they pay $1500 for one flight. Price is somewhere around $6/MB.
Very interesting. So the strategy to keep bandwidth usage down is to simply switch it on only for the short moment it is required. It would be great to keep it on all the time to get messages etc. but without the risk to use up much bandwidth. But it is quite a job to control all the traffic from an iPad or similar.
loco wrote:
Plane is Mach limited at FL470. FL490 and FL510 are not practical because there needs to be very little fuel to climb them, so you’re descending even before finishing acceleration at the level.
As the engines seem to have enough power this weight limitation comes from the coffin corner? Is it actually not possible to climb or is there some POH limitation regarding the weight so you have enough reserves to actually make turns etc. at FL510?
Do you wish you had a plane with even more range for such trips? The value of this Lear should get you into some very serious pre owned long range planes but obviously at different operating costs…
It is possible to buy a Global for the money, but then again one has to deal with antique avionics. Looking at Garmin equipped planes, a Citation X+ has more range and more speed. It is rare and expensive, but on paper, seems pretty cool to me.
What is your experience with the Inmarsat WiFi? Do you pay by the megabyte or by the hour? What do you do to limit your usage? Simply turn it off after a few minutes when not required or do you have any firewall software or similar which reduces the bandwidth?
I pay a monthly subscription of $150 for the Gogo WiFi. That includes 40MB. I try to fit into that, so only Golze ADL and iMessage from time to time. Most of the time it is switched off. For some trusted charter clients I enable it and then they pay $1500 for one flight. Price is somewhere around $6/MB.
Is it still mach limited at FL470 or do you run into the engine limits? I did always wonder on paper the Lear had such big engines but somehow the airframe seemed to lack a bit behind at higher speeds while for most of us the engine power is the limit for more speed.
Plane is Mach limited at FL470. FL490 and FL510 are not practical because there needs to be very little fuel to climb them, so you’re descending even before finishing acceleration at the level.
Thanks for sharing, great cockpit videos!
Thanks a lot! Also cool to see a lear with modern avionics. Usually they have some FMS from the stone age which can be outperformed by a solar powered calculator ;-)
A few questions:
Do you wish you had a plane with even more range for such trips? The value of this Lear should get you into some very serious pre owned long range planes but obviously at different operating costs…
What is your experience with the Inmarsat WiFi? Do you pay by the megabyte or by the hour? What do you do to limit your usage? Simply turn it off after a few minutes when not required or do you have any firewall software or similar which reduces the bandwidth?
Is it still mach limited at FL470 or do you run into the engine limits? I did always wonder on paper the Lear had such big engines but somehow the airframe seemed to lack a bit behind at higher speeds while for most of us the engine power is the limit for more speed.
Thanks. Just need to film a lightweight takeoff with 5k fpm climb. That should complete the picture.
I’ve never felt so close to piloting a Lear, many thanks loco for sharing.
Not an issue at FL470. There’s a pic of the PFD posted above. If stall speed was near, it would be displayed at the bottom of the speed tape.
I have yet to take the plane to 510. Only 490 so far. Here’s a picture. You can see the AoA indicator popped up.
