Bombardier Aerospace announced today at the NBAA Convention that it completed critical design of its all-composite Learjet 85, allowing production of the light jet to begin. Development and production teams in Wichita; Montreal; Belfast, Northern Ireland; and Querétaro, Mexico, are now “actively engaged” in the manufacturing validation phase, the Canadian aircraft manufacturer said. “We have been successfully building parts and we are ensuring that all quality standards are met for the Learjet 85 aircraft’s entry into service in 2013,” noted Ralph Acs, Bombardier Learjet vice president and general manager. Several test fuselages and key elements of the composite structure have been produced at the Querétaro facility to validate the manufacturing and assembly processes, he said. In addition, a full-length composite fuselage has been assembled, and production of the first flight-test airplane is under way. In Wichita, phase one expansion of the Learjet 85 final assembly facility is complete, meaning it is ready to start assembling aircraft. Two more construction phases will add a new production flight facility, a paint facility and delivery center.