The Bombardier Challenger is a family of business jets designed by Bill Lear and produced first by Canadair until that company was bought by Bombardier Aerospace in 1986.

Development

The aircraft was an independent design by Lear in 1976, who had resigned as Chairman of Lear Jet seven years previously. Originally dubbed the LearStar 600, Lear sold exclusive rights to produce and develop the design to Canadair, who renamed it the CL-600 Challenger.

While similar in general configuration to Lear's previous designs, notable changes were made that distinguished the new airplane from the Learjets, including the use of a widened fuselage that allowed a "walk about cabin", a feature not shared by any other business aircraft of the time.

On November 8 1978, the first prototype of the airplane took off for the first time. The first flight resulted in a disaster, the airplane crashing due to a deep stall. The second and third prototypes flew in March that same year.

Despite the first flight's crash, both Canada's aviation authority and the US FAA certified the airplane in 1980, albeit with both handling over some restrictions to pilots including a limited maximum take-off weight. A large program to reduce the airplane's weight was then implemented to improve the aircraft's range.

Variants

CL-600

• CL-600 - original production version, powered by Avco Lycoming ALF-502 L turbofans of 7,500 lb (33.6 kN) thrust each. Built until 1983 (83 built)
  • CL-600S - 76 CL-600s retrofitted with the winglets introduced on the CL-601-1A. 12 aircraft purchased by Canadian Forces Air Command for use in a variety of roles as the CC-144, CE-144, and CX-144.

CL-601

• CL-601-1A - refined version including winglets to reduce drag and more powerful General Electric engines. (66 built, including 4 CL-144s)
  • CL-601-1A/ER - 601-1A retrofitted with the 601-3R's additional fuel tank
• CL-601-3A - further uprated engine and a glass cockpit. This was the first version marketed by Bombardier.
  • CL-601-3A/ER - 601-3A retrofitted with the 601-3R's additional fuel tank
• CL-601-3R - extended range version with an extra fuel tank added to the aircraft's tail

CL-604

• CL-604 - major upgrade of the 601 design, incorporating more powerful engines, larger fuel supply, completely new undercarriage, structural improvements to wings and tail, and a new electronic flight instrumentation system.

CL-610

• CL-610 Challenger E was to have been a stretched version with seating for 24 passengers. Development was halted by Canadair in 1981 without any having been built. A few years later, a new project would develop the Canadair Regional Jet based on a stretched Challenger design.

Challenger 300 and 800

• see Bombardier Continental

Specifications (CL-601-3A)

General Characteristics

• Crew: two pilots
• Capacity: up to 19 passengers, depending on configuration
• Length: 20.85 m (68 ft 5 in)
• Wingspan: 19.61 m (64 ft 4 in)
• Height: 6.30 m (20 ft 8 in)
• Wing area: 48.3 m² (520 ft²)
• Empty: 9,292 kg (20,485 lb)
• Loaded: kg ( kg)
• Maximum takeoff: 19,550 kg (43,100 lb)
• Powerplant: 2x General Electric CF-34 -3A, 40.7 kN (9,140 lb) thrust each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 851 km/h (532 mph)
• Range: 6,236 km (3,898 miles)
• Service ceiling: 12,500 m (41,000 ft)
• Rate of climb: 1,355 m/min (4,443 ft/min)
• Wing loading: kg/m² ( lb/ft²)
• Thrust-to-weight:

Related content

Related development: Canadair Regional Jet - Bombardier Continental

Comparable aircraft: Learjet - Cessna Citation

Designation sequence (Canadair): CL-84 - CL-215 - CL-415 - CL-600

Designation sequence (Canadian Forces): CC-141 - CC-142 - CH-143 - CC-144 - CT-145 - CH-146 - CH-147

See also

• Bombardier Global Express
• Bombardier Global 5000
• Gulfstream VI