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With the removal of the windshields, glareshield and remaining instrument panel framework, we now have access to the foam insulation around the forward pressure bulkhead and the most forward fuselage. Ryan Timesch, owner of Best Engineered Performance Coatings (BEPC), and his daughter Raegan, came out on November 14 and 15, 2025 to finish their removal of foam beneath the cockpit floor and these now exposed areas in the forward fuselage. Following completion of the interior foam removal, the fuselage was moved to the north side of the hangar where it will be prepared for the Non-Destructive Inspections (NDI). It will be secured so that, after the NDI, any defective fuselage structure that is found can be repaired or replaced safely without allowing the fuselage to move or twist. The wing was moved to the south side of the hangar. Visitors, November 2025 Shane Johnson and family came out on Friday, November 15, 2025, to witness the dry ice blasting first hand. They were impressed at how easily and completely the dry ice removed the fuselage foam. They were able to see the before and after effects of the dry ice. The latest Flight Safety International (FSI) Model 45 training class visited 23-003 on November 6, 2025. Rick Rowe, CLJF Director of Public Relations, and Ron Forshee, CLJF Board member, provided the tour for the class and their instructors Abe Vidulich and Phil Heseltine.
We continue to work toward preparing 23-003 for the Non-Destructive Inspection (NDI) phase of her restoration. The cabin windows were removed on October 8, 2025. As of October 9, 2025, we are moving forward with the preparation efforts for the removal of the windshields. Lee Aerospace will do the actual removals in order to accurately manufacture duplicate windshields to fit into the existing structural framework and fastener hole pattern. Lee Aerospace will also manufacture new cabin windows for 23-003 N200Y! We are going through the wiring from each connector in the wiring bundle, that was previously removed from 23-003, comparing each wire to the production wiring diagrams to identify the purpose of each wire. This information will be used when we build the new wiring harness to ensure that it accurately covers all of the needs of 23-003. The tip tanks were taken to the K&L Body Shop by owner Larry Ortiz to have the last remnants of paint and aerodynamic filler (Bondo) removed on October 21, 2025. Thank You Larry Ortiz and the K&L Body Shop for coming forward to help with the restoration!
A major step in the restoration of 23-003 N200Y was achieved on September 9, 2025 when it returned from having the paint stripped from the fuselage, tip tanks and horizontal stabilizer. As you can see in the photos, we will have to manually remove the remaining bits of paint (download the full newsletter to view photos). The next step is to complete some additional dry ice blasting and remove the windshield and windows then start the Non-Destructive Inspections (NDI) of the fuselage structure. This will identify any structural components, skin, frames, etc. that will require repair or replacement. The crew that stripped the paint paused in front of the fuselage of 23-003 just before it was loaded onto a Patton Trucking trailer for the trip back to building 14. They are (not in order in the photo): Dave Lewis, Kevin Dome, Harold Haviland, Will Brown, Joseph Irwin, Adam Biggs and Jay Prideaux (not pictured). A big THANK YOU to the anonymous vendor that donated his company’s time and resources to strip the paint! Also, THANK YOU to Patton Trucking for donating their equipment and personnel to take 23-003 to the paint stripping facility and bring her home again.
The final sealing of the fuselage, tip tanks and horizontal stabilizer has been completed and they were prepared to be shipped off to have their external paint removed. All openings, seams, windshield and windows had aluminum tape or sealer applied to keep the chemical stripper out of the inside. The tip tanks and horizontal stabilizer were loaded onto a trailer on August 5, 2025 and taken to a paint facility for paint stripping using Al Goodwin’s truck and a trailer borrowed by Dave Dendurant. The tip tank cradles were the same ones that were used for their trip from Florida. The fuselage was lifted off of its jacks and placed in its cradle on a trailer for its trip to have the paint stripped on August 12, 2025. The truck and trailer, as well as the trip to the paint facility, were donated by Patton Trucking of Clearwater, Kansas. These parts should be back in building 14 in early September and ready to have the remaining bits of paint removed. Then we will remove the windshields, windows, panels, finish the internal foam removal and start the Non-Destructive Inspection (NDI). Any issues found on the skins, stringers, etc., such as corrosion, will be repaired or replaced. While these parts are out to be stripped, we are currently setting up to do a pressure check of the right hand wing looking for any leaks. These results, along with the corrosion found on the left wing, will help us make a decision about the wing. Whether it is repairable or we must replace it. Cross your fingers! We just passed 1,400 volunteer hours since 23-003 arrived in Wichita! Thank you to all of you who have contributed your time to help restore 23-003!
We are prepping the fuselage, tip tanks and horizontal stabilizer for transport to a paint facility for paint stripping. The keel beam and doors have been reinstalled to prevent the fuselage from twisting or bending during lifting and transport. The parts room has been set up and we now have a couple of volunteers that are developing the inventory control system and ordering parts. When the airplane comes back from paint strip, we will remove the windows, finish the internal foam removal and get the Non-Destructive Inspection (NDI) started. We will then start repairing or removing any corrosion that is found on the skins and structure. Also, we are looking into a potential repair of the discovered wing corrosion. We will also get the wing leading edges cleaned up and inspected for any excessive corrosion. Will you volunteer? We need your help with the restoration of 23-003! Help in all areas! A&P’s, electricians and all people willing to assist others, move stuff around, hand a screwdriver to a mechanic, fill out forms and paperwork, push a broom or just provide enthusiastic support to others! We can use your expertise, whatever and however you can help! Schedules are flexible to your availability! You don’t have to be a former or current Learjet employee to volunteer! Direct questions and to volunteer please contact our volunteer coordinator, Brenda Parks, through her email: Brenda.Parks@ClassicLear.org
The dry ice blasting to remove the remaining foam is nearing completion on the rest of the areas in the cockpit and under the floorboards. The dry-ice blasting is doing a fantastic job of removing the foam remnants! Thank you Ryan Thimesch of BEPC for his time and talent! The dry ice blasting turns the foam, remaining after manual scraping, into a fine dust that requires continuous cleanup! After the completion of the foam removal in the cockpit, we have decided to proceed with another novel use of dry ice blasting; to clean the grime and crud from other areas around the airplane. Trial areas show great promise to reduce the amount of manual labor required! The nose landing gear doors have been removed and the nose avionics bay and nose landing gear bay are now ready to be cleaned by dry-ice blasting. We now have large prints of the wiring schematics to help us identify wires and components. This will assist us in developing the new wire harnesses. A completely new wiring harness will be built to replace the 61 year old brittle harness that was recently removed. Some components are not planned to be reinstalled, such as the thrust reversers, so all of the wiring and components associated with these will not be a part of the new harness. We just received the shelving to get our parts room sorted. We will need some volunteers to help assemble the shelves and move some things around inside the storage cage. Will you volunteer?
