BOMBARDIER CHALLENGER “600/601/604/800″
1977’ Present
 Challenger 604 |  Challenger 800 |
| STANDARD DATA: (604) Seats 9-19. Gross wt. 32,650. Empty wt. 13,567. Engines two 8,729-lb General Electric CF34-1B1 turbofans. PERFORMANCE: High speed cruise 459 kts. Typical cruise 442 kts. Ceiling 41,000. Range 4,027 nm. Landing distance 2,910'.
STANDARD DATA: (800) Seats 8-13. Gross wt. 24,040. Empty wt. 15,377. Engines two 8,729 lb General Electric CF34-1B1 turbofans. PERFORMANCE: High speed cruise 459 kts. Typical cruise 442 kts. Ceiling 41,000. Range 3,590'. Landing distance 2,910'. |
In 1977, Canadair unleashed its Challenger series of business jets to go head to head with the Gulfstream, Dassault Falcon 50, and the Lockheed JetStar II. Canadair's goal was to make a competitive aircraft that would fly faster, farther, more economically, and with greater comfort than its competitors. The original design came from none other than Bill Lear, and was originally called the LearStar 600. Certification for the new Canadair jet was in August 1980.
An aerodynamically cleaned-up and lighter design followed, the Challenger 601, employing the General Electric CF-34 turbofan engines. The upgrade was so successful that the original 600 model was dropped from production a year later in 1983. In 1986 Canadair was acquired by Bombardier.
The Challenger 604 entered service in early 1996, sporting an all new Collins ProLine glass panel flightdeck and a variety of improvements, including a higher MTWO, more fuel capacity and new CF-34-3B turbofan engines.
The stretched Challenger 800 can seat up to 19 plus a crew of two and can cruise almost 3,600 nm nonstop.
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