AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2021 - 49

F IRST LOOK /
One of a kind
The Limo-Jet, a fantastic
driving airplane
BY LARRY E. NAZIMEK
IF YOU 'RE A pilot, you've probably been stuck in traffic
where you subconsciously applied back pressure to the steering
wheel, as if you were trying to climb above the traffic. If
you're sitting in the cockpit of the Limo-Jet, then you will
definitely get that feeling. We've all heard of efforts to make
a reliable flying car, but in this case, it's a driving airplane,
and a fantastic one at that.
The dark candy-apple red Limo-Jet is a Lear 35 converted
into a limousine, but to compare it to your average limousine is
like comparing a nuclear bomb to a firecracker: It's a lot more.
Frank DeAngelo is the builder and owner, and Dan Harris
is the inventor. It got started with DeAngelo's limousine business,
Exotic Coach, which features customized limos: not
the types that would make trips to and from airports or drive
to funerals, but the types that drive executives, conventioneers,
bachelors, and bachelorettes. The Limo-Jet is owned by
DeAngelo's company, Jetsetter Inc.
A Learjet was not the only airplane that had been considered.
" We originally looked at a Hawker, but its size and shape
were not limo material, " said DeAngelo. " This is the one and only Limo-Jet; there is
no other like it in the entire world. "
The project has taken some 12 years to complete; everything on this vehicle
was done for the first time. The front-end suspension/steering was a particularly
difficult task. One can easily see the tubular members that had to be designed,
measured, cut, and welded precisely. The result, however, is that it handles so
smoothly that it can be steered with only one finger. It is powered by an eightcylinder
8.1L Chevrolet Silverado 2500 engine. It's 42 feet long and 8 feet wide,
and it rides on 28-inch wheels.
The cockpit seating of a Learjet is somewhat cramped. For the Limo-Jet, the two
seats have been replaced with one larger one, with an aircraft-style shoulder harness.
It has seating for eight passengers, so no special license is needed to drive it.
The engine nacelles are still in place, but the engines have been replaced by
speakers. The " business ends " have red lights to give the visual effect of having real
jet engines.
There are eight taillights made to look like thrusters, as one might see in a TV
spacecraft. Of course, the anti-collision light on the top of the tail is still in place. To
add to the aerospace vehicle look are what appear to be air intakes on the rear bottom
of the fuselage. The wings have been removed, but that doesn't mean that the
Limo-Jet is narrow enough to make it street legal. The horizontal stabilizer is still
too wide, so it folds, like the way Navy planes fold their wings.
The Limo-Jet is not taking bookings, but it is being taken to car shows, where it
is always the center of attention. Larry E. Nazimek is an airline transport pilot and
aviation writer living in Chicago. jetsetterus.com
AOPA PILOT / September 2021
49
" We originally looked at
a Hawker, but its size
and shape were not limo
material. " -Frank DeAngelo

http://www.jetsetterus.com

AOPA Pilot Magazine - September 2021

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