The Challenger 300, originally known as the Continental Business Jet BD-100, is medium size trans-continental business jet from Bombardier Aerospace of Canada. The aircraft was renamed in September 2002.
The aircraft carries up to eight passengers in a cabin with stand-up headroom over a non-stop range of 3,100nm, i.e. coast-to-coast range across America, using a take-off airfield length of less than 5,000ft.
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The aircraft was launched in 1999 and the first flight of the aircraft took place in August 2001 from Bombardier’s Learjet plant in Wichita, Kansas.
The aircraft received certification from Transport Canada in May 2003, US Federal Aviation Authority in June 2003 and European Joint Aviation Authorities in August 2003. The Challenger 300 entered service with Flexjet in January 2004.
The 200th Challenger 300 jet was delivered in August 2008 to Vistajet.
Deliveries and orders
Bombadier has received firm orders for over 220 aircraft, including 17 for Bombardier’s subsidiary company Flexjet based in Dallas and Flexjet Europe in Hounslow, UK, for its fractional ownership programme.
By owning a fractional interest in the aircraft, corporate customers have the availability of business jet travel. All aircraft operations are professionally managed on the owners’ behalf by Flexjet, including flight crew employment and maintenance for a fixed monthly management fee.
In September 2007, XOJET of San Carlos, California, placed the largest single order received for the Challenger 300 – a firm order for 20 jets with options for an additional 60 aircraft. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in late 2008.
In November 2004, the aircraft set a world speed record for its class for a journey from Carlsbad, California, to Bangor, Maine. With two pilots and eight passengers, the Challenger 300 travelled the 4,365km (2,712 miles) in 4 hours 41 minutes, cruising at an average speed of 921km/h (572mph).
Construction
The Challenger 300 has a conventional all-metal airframe. Winglets reduce lift-induced drag. Canadair is responsible for building the forward section of the fuselage including the cockpit and primary flight controls.Mitsubishi Heavy Industries builds the wings.
Bombardier Aerospace in Belfast is responsible for construction of the centre fuselage. The rear fuselage and tail are built by AIDC of Taiwan. Hawker De Havilland Australia supplies the tailcone and the auxiliary power installation unit.
The component sections are transported to the Bombardier Aerospace Montreal Dorval facility for final assembly.
Performance
The main performance parameters are the aircraft’s non-stop range of 5,741km combined with its ability to take-off from airstrips of 1,509m. The high cruise speed is Mach 0.82 or 870km/h and the maximum operating altitude is 45,000ft or 13,716m.
Flight deck
The ergonomically designed flight deck accommodates two crew. The avionics suite is based on a Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 with four 10in x 12in liquid crystal displays, an integrated four-tube electronic flight instrumentation system (EFIS) and a two-tube engine in-flight condition monitoring system (EIFCMS).
The flight systems include a dual VHF omnidirectional radio ranger with a linked instrument landing system (VOR/ILS), a flight management system, an automatic heading and reference system (AHRS), automatic direction finding, distance measuring equipment, global positioning system, electronic ground proximity warning receiver, TCAS II, a radar altimeter and an air data system.
The aircraft is fitted with a Rockwell Collins digital weather radar.
An engine bleed air anti-icing system is used for the leading edges of the wings and for the lips of the engines’ nacelles. Electrical de-icing is used for the windscreen and the pitot probes.
Cabin
The business-class cabin provides a working environment to corporate executive standards. The passenger cabin has an area of 13.28m² and seats eight business passengers in double-club seating. The cabin can alternatively be configured with a 16-seat high-density interior. The cabin is fitted with tracked swivelling recliner seats each with a table, a power point and telephone point.
A baggage compartment at the rear of the cabin is accessible in flight. The cabin and baggage compartments are air conditioned and pressurised by the Liebherr Aerospace-Toulouse environmental control system. At the rear of the cabin is the galley with passenger facilities. The cabin door is on the port side at the front of the cabin.
Engines
The aircraft has two Honeywell AS907 turbofan engines each providing 35.81kN (8,050lbs) thrust. The engines are fitted with dual channel FADEC (full authority digital engine control) and Hurel-Dubois thrust reversers.
The AS907 is configured with four axial compressor stages, including two variable-geometry stators, a single centrifugal compressor, an effusion-cooled combustor, a two-stage high-pressure turbine and a three-stage low-pressure turbine driving a high-efficiency fan.
The two integral wing tanks hold 6,124kg of fuel. The aircraft is equipped with an Intertechnique fuel system. Gravity fuelling points are located on the top of each wing. There is a single point pressure refuelling and defuelling port.
The aircraft has a Honeywell 36-150BB auxiliary power unit. The DC electrical system operating at 28 volts includes three brushless generators and two nickel cadmium batteries for ground power, for auxiliary power unit starting and for emergency power in flight.
Landing gear
The Challenger 300 has Messier-Dowty hydraulically retractable tricycle-type landing gear. Parker Aerospace developed the aircraft’s hydraulic systems. The steerable two-wheel nose gear retracts forward. The twin wheel main landing gear units retract inwards and are fitted with Goodrich carbon composite multiple disc brakes.
