The Aircruiser is a low-wing, fixed-tricycle undercarriage four-seat monoplane of all-metal construction designed initially by Henry Millicer. Mr Millicer is well known for designing the Victa Airtourer and the Aircruiser.

In December 1986 Bombardier purchased Canadair from the Canadian Government, and launched the Challenger business jet programme.

The Challenger 600 series of business aircraft has been produced since 1986 by Canadair, a division of Bombardier Aerospace, the aircraft previously being known as the Canadair Challenger.

The Challenger 850 series of corporate aircraft was launched by Bombardier in May 2005, and is a development of the CRJ200 airliner.

With some 5,000 examples of the Boeing 737 series delivered, and by late 2005 some further 1,000 on order, the 737 has been the most commercially successful airliner and, with development continuing, it was highly likely that the Company would look at providing a business-jet version.

The prototype King Air (N5690K), known as the Beech 65-90, was flown for the first time on 20 January 1964.

The first of two prototypes of the Series 200 Beech King Air executive aircraft flew for the first time on 27 October 1972, the second following on 15 December of that year.

Aero Design and Engineering Co, which was formed in December 1944 in Culver City, California, by two Former Douglas Aircraft Co employees, produced an aircraft known as the Aero Commander L-3805.

After production of the initial version of the Aero Commander series stopped, the Models 520 and 560 appeared in 1954, powered by two 209-kw (280-hp) Lycoming GO-480-B engines. These introduced a few degrees of sweep angle on the vertical tail surfaces.

The Aero Commander 840, also known as the Rockwell Commander 690C Jetprop 840, is a development of the 690 series with turboprops, being produced alongside the 980 at Rockwell International’s General Aviation Division, at this time the company concluding production of piston-engined aircraft.

The prototype of the turbine powered series of Rockwell Commanders was flown for the first time on 31 December 1964. Known as the Model 680T Turbo Commander, it was powered by 451-kw (605-shp) Garrett AiResearch turboprops.