[Victor]

"...I thought Lear was made by Bombardier...."

I think you're right. But then, there's also Cessna. I just don't know why domestic manufacturers are not gearing up for an obviously growing market.

[okie01]

Both Beech and Cessna took it in the shorts when several product liability suits found them liable for accidents involving forty and fifty-yr old private planes. Planes which had not been maintained or serviced according to factory specs or were used in an unsafe manner.

The manufacturers were, of course, the "deep pockets" that the trial lawyers were aiming at. Both Beech and Cessna had to set up huge liability reserves (I think Beech even went thru bankruptcy) and their capitalization shrank to survival status.

As a consequence, neither has had the capital resources to devote to the design and development of this class of plane.

In sum, trial lawyers are the sole reason all this manufacturing has gone offshore.

[Space Wrangler]

Correct. Bombardier purchased LearJet over a decade ago. Incidentally, Bombardier also makes SeaDoo Personal watercraft and snowmobiles, and are currently trying to sell the recreational products division at this time to raise cash to build it's aerospace business. Bombardier also bought OMC (Outboard Marine Corporation) of Johnson and Evinrude fame in 2001. Offers are supposedly being considered by John Deere and Harley Davidson to buy the recreational products division (which includes SeaDoo, OMC, and Austrian engine maker Rotax) from Bombardier at this time. Bombardier is obviously staking it's future on it's core business of airplanes.