"The Polar Mission" Dedication

Captain Bart Gray, President of Global Jetcare and CLJF Vice President, announced that “The Polar Mission” will be dedicated to Mr. William Powell Lear, Junior. Bill Lear, Jr. played a critical role in the birth of the original Lear Jet. Being a well established test pilot, he was invited to fly and evaluate the Swiss FFA P-16 ground attack fighter. After 2 of the prototypes and their pilots were lost, he successfully flew 5 flights and went supersonic twice. He was very impressed with exceptional structural qualities of the Swiss P-16 ground attack jet (ex. the 8 spar wing) and was responsible for convincing his father, Bill Lear, Sr., that this was what he was looking for in his new business jet. He also told him that since the Swiss government had cancelled the P-16 project there were a lot of skilled aircraft engineers available to help with the design of his business jet. The rest, as they say, “Is History”. If it were not for William Powell Lear, Jr. the Lear Jet would have been an entirely different airplane!

"The Polar Mission" - Update

Final flight planning for “The Polar Mission” around the world pole to pole record flight is well underway and the necessary equipment is being assembled. In addition to the FAA required overwater life vests and rafts, they also require special survival equipment for flights in the Arctic and Antarctic Regions. Part of the special equipment is extreme cold weather suits. These suits are designed to protect the crew in the event of an emergency in some of the coldest and most remote places on Earth.

The crew has been hard at work putting the final touches on the flight plan, fuel stops, required coordination with each airport authorities, etc. Since the crew of The Polar Mission flight will be the same crew that accomplished the world record setting The Century Mission last April, all ‘lessons learned’ will be thoroughly reviewed and included. Follow the flight at polarmission.org

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Progress Report - February 2026

By Kristen Nuss • March 3, 2026

The tip tanks and keel beam are back in Florida!! S.E.A.L. Aviation has generously volunteered to rebuild and restore our tip tanks and keel beam! Since they are in southern Florida, we loaded them up in a truck for the trip back to Florida. Ron Forshee and Chris Marshall volunteered to make the long drive. They departed Wichita on February 15 th at 12:35 pm and arrived in Florida at the Global Jetcare hangar two days and 1,306 miles later on February 17th. The tip tanks and keel beam will now be taken to the S.E.A.L. facility for restoration. A volunteer has started cleaning the flight controls, ailerons, flaps, etc., so that we can accomplish the necessary detailed inspections. As you can see in the photo below, they are quite dirty after sitting outdoors for years. Volunteers Dan DeMott and Cliff Ives are identifying all of the hydraulic and fuel tubes and components that have been removed from 23-003 with part numbers and Parts Catalog locations. The tubes will also have metal ID tags to facilitate vapor degreasing when the time comes for this operation. Another milestone was reached late this month in the restoration of 23-003: The fuselage has been firmly tied down, securing it to prevent any movement. This will allow us to now start the necessary structural repairs! In the photos below you can see the cradles and supports securing the fuselage. One cradle just forward of the cabin door, a cradle aft of the cabin window, the jacks on the engine beams, a cradle just aft of the engine pylon and the tail stand.

Rebuild of 23-003 Officially Starts!! - January 2026

By Kristen Nuss • February 2, 2026

LATE BREAKING NEWS: The rebuilding of 23-003 N200Y has officially started! On January 28, 2026 the first set of wires for the new wire harness were cut! Volunteers Denver Plumb and Mike Johnson made the first cut! We would like to thank John Bowman and Larry Thimmesch of Incora for the donation of the wire. We are making great progress in getting all the removed parts identified with part numbers and returned to the storage racks. We are working with Katie Yaverski to get all the racks identified and labeled for location identification. We are moving forward with a partnership with S.E.A.L. Aviation for overhaul and repair of numerous items and components! They will be a great asset to CLJF and the efforts to rebuild 23-003. The wing from of 23-003 is now in a stored position on its leading edge against the south hangar wall in order to give us some additional working room in the hangar.

Progress Report - December 2025

By Kristen Nuss • January 5, 2026

Classic Lear Jet Foundation has entered into our next major step in our restoration of 23-003 N200Y, the Non-Destructive Inspection (NDI)! NDI testing started on the forward fuselage of 23-003 on December 11, 2025. This will be a lengthy process that will continue into next year. It is a slow and steady work that uses X-ray photography to detect structural defects such as corrosion, cracks, etc. Because of the use of X-rays, we cannot be in the hangar so our restoration work has had to be paused when the NDI testing is in progress. The process starts with placing unexposed x-ray film on the fuselage at the desired inspection location. Then aiming the x-ray emitter on the opposite side of the structure. When the emitter is activated, x-rays pass through the structure and into the film. After the film is developed, the result is a ‘picture’ of the structure that shows any defect, corrosion, crack, etc. The structural visual inspections, using flashlights, mirrors and trained eyes, are also progressing, but slowly because of the NDI testing. It is amazing that we have entered the NDI phase on 23-003 in less than 2 years since our restoration started! On December 30, 2023, Jay Thomas removed the first Dzus fastener, officially kicking off the restoration of 23-003. Thanks to the dedicated volunteers who have put in nearly 2,000 hours of work to get us to this major phase on the road to fly N200Y again!