N217TA

This airframe, registered as N217TA, is a 1979-built Gates Learjet 35A with manufacturer's serial number 35-289. The airframe is owned by FOX AVIATION LLC, a limited liability company based in Santa Maria, California, United States, which serves as the operator and home base for the type. No notable registry actions or historic incidents are published for this specific airframe in the supplied data. The aircraft is recorded with a market valuation of $960,000, reflecting its vintage year and configuration as a fixed-wing multi-engine executive transport.

The aircraft is set up in a 10-seat executive / transport layout with owner-configurable cabin arrangements, enabling adaptation between corporate shuttle and light airfreight or combi roles under the control of FOX AVIATION LLC. Specific avionics fit and interior finish details are not published in the provided data; consequently, routine mission planning and maintenance considerations rely on standard Learjet 35A systems and the owner’s chosen retrofit state. With a cruise speed of 436 kts and a range of 1,930 nm, typical missions for this airframe would include medium-range business travel and charter hops along the West Coast and transcontinental legs when operated from its Santa Maria, CA base. Maintenance considerations for this airframe follow established practices for late-1970s Learjet airframes and TFE731-2 series powerplants, with life-limited component tracking and engine shop visits driven by hours and cycles.

The Gates Learjet 35A occupies a long-established light business jet niche characterized by high cruise speeds and long-range capability for its class. In the used market, late-1970s airframes like this serial 35-289 are often evaluated for their engine program status, structural fatigue history and upgrade state—factors that strongly influence resale value and charter demand. Competing models in the era and secondary market include other light twins offering similar speed and range but differing in cabin size and operating economics; buyer interest typically favors well-documented maintenance records and modern avionics retrofits when valuing a 1979 Learjet 35A.