[William P. Lear looking at engine of Lockheed Lodestar aircraft]

Photograph of William P. Lear looking at the engine of a Lockheed Lodestar aircraft, circa January 1953. Lear is gesturing to a modification made to the jet-exhaust system.

Typed caption on verso: "Grand Rapids, Michigan: William P. Lear, Chairman of the Board and Director of Research and Development of Lear, Incorporated, discusses a detail of his unique Lodestar modification program, designed to increase the efficiency of his company's executive transport Lockheed Lodestar. The innovations created and developed by Bill Lear have already produced marked increase in speed and fuel-consumption savings, even though the program is only partially completed.

"Bill Lear points out his newly-designed Jet-Exhaust Cowl with Siamese stacks, one of the innovations in his overall modernization and improvement program for his Lodestar (dubbed Learstar by his many pilot friends). The new arrangement is responsible for most of the gain in the plane's efficiency, and provides a mechanical disconnection of the engine from the airframe, or nacelle.

"Lear claims much of the cost of exhaust system maintenance and airframe deterioration due to vibration imparted to the airframe through the present rigid coupling would be saved in one year by his new jet-exhaust system which is full floating and without any direct coupling to the ship.

"The new Jet-Exhaust arrangement is part of his overall modernization and improvement program for his 'Learstar', which includes a new Cowl Flap, a new retractable rear wheel, and the removal of the plane's bat-wings. These, and other innovations, Bill Lear claims, show performance results that indicate a 25% increase in range at 230 mph at 11,000' altitude, or approximately 32 mph increase in speed at 100 gph fuel consumption."

Stamped on verso: "Lear, Incorporated / [address in Grand Rapids, Michigan]."