Lear Jet Climb.
The rate of climb of the Lear has always been quite phenomenal. Back in the early ‘80s I worked one out of Heathrow going to Frankfurt. Straight off the deck it climbed like a Saturn 5. I ‘phoned the Dover sector and asked for further climb to prevent him from levelling off whilst he changed to their frequency. They gave me FL270 level by the boundary. That was the London / Maastrict UIR boundary about half way between DVR and KOK. I cleared the aircraft up telling him to be level by the boundary and he said he would have a go but it might be a bit tight. I thought this a bit strange given that he had not yet passed abeam Biggin and was still climbing like his life depended on it. I monitored his climb and as he passed Detling he levelled at FL270. Reporting level he said how it was a close run thing but he had made FL270 by the boundary. It was then that I realised that he was talking about the London TMA boundary, which in those days ran through Detling, not the UIR boundary. I hadn’t the heart to tell him. Incredible performance.
Clint.