Arising form a moribund aviation company, in the 1970s, the new Canadair Challenger business jet on the drawing board was a risky proposition. Derived from a design by American inventor and aircraft developer Bill Lear, Canadair Chief Designer Harry Halton married a wide-body fuselage with a high performance ("supercritical") wing and state-of-the-art engines. With banks and the then federal Minister of Industry, Trade and Commerce Jean Chrétien requiring 50 "firm orders", a Canadair sales team was dispatched to sell a "paper aircraft" with only sales brochures, scale models and a wooden mock-up to go on. The innovative Challenger design boasted industry-leading performance. It promised to be faster, cheaper to fly, and more comfortable than any other business jet.