With nearly 3,000 planes delivered since 1963, the Learjet was a well-known “stylish” business jet. The Learjet was a corporate must-have in the older generation where connections were long and nonstop flights were not common. Not only were executives brought from one place to another by the Learjet, but Hollywood stars as well when they need to shoot from different locations. In February, however, Learjet’s parent company Bombardier formally announced the end of its production to focus on Global and Challenger airplanes.

The Learjet was originally from a family of a Swiss prototype fighter jet. It was named after aviation and electronic founder Bill Lear, who also developed the predecessor of cassette tapes, the 8-track tape. The Learjet’s airplane cabin that provides a similar feeling to sitting in a comfortable family car was a favorite at the start of its development. But it had one big flaw: its short cabin height of 4’4″ (1.32 meters). It wasn’t a problem in the 1960s, but the new generation demands bigger ones. To date, the cabin height of Bombardier’s Global 7500/8000 aircraft is 6’2″ (1.8 meters), which is much larger than the Learjet’s. The legendary plane also had a 2,000-mile range, which was ideal for those in the 1960s who wanted to save time and effort. However, both the global economy and business aviation evolved from the 1970s to the 1990s, making the Learjet insufficient. Latest jets can go over 6,000 miles in over 12 hours.

There’s no denying that the Learjet has a long way to go to catch up to current airplanes. But as the world evolves, so does our mode of transportation, air travel included. Although this iconic jet’s reign has come to an end, it’s important to remember that the mastermind of business travel innovation was none other than the Learjet itself.