The Learjet in its early years was considered a glamorous business jet, with over 3,000 planes delivered since 1963. In the old age where connections were long and nonstop flights were few, the Learjet was a corporate must-have to whisk executives from one place to another. Hollywood stars also used the Learjet to shoot from location to location. However, Learjet’s parent company Bombardier announced the formal end of its reign in February to focus on their Global and Challenger jets.

The legendary jet was from a lineage of an experimental Swiss fighter jet. It was named after Bill Lear, an aviation and electronic pioneer. He also contributed to the music industry by developing the 8-track tape, the forerunner of cassette tapes. At the start of Learjet’s development, its state-of-the-art design was complimented due to its airplane cabin that provides a similar feeling as sitting in a comfortable family car. But this is where it falls short: the Learjet only had a 4’4″ (1.32 meters) cabin height. It may be sufficient in the 1960s but today’s generation demands larger ones. In comparison, Bombardier’s Global 7500/8000 aircraft boasts a 6’2″ (1.8 meters) cabin height. The Learjet was also capable of running a 2,000-mile range that people in the 1960s need to save time and hassle. But as the global economy evolved from the 1970s to the 1990s, so did business aviation. Latest jets travel more than 12 hours for over 6,000 miles.

The Learjet has a long way to go to catch up to modern jets, that much is clear. However, as the world changes, so does our way of travel. Although this legendary jet has officially ended its supremacy, let’s not forget what started the innovation in business travel: the Learjet itself.