Challenger Jets

The Bombardier Challenger family of aircraft has developed a healthy reputation of dependability since it was first introduced in 1980. Designed by Bill Lear, (of Learjet fame) in the mid 70s and originally christened the LearStar 600, Canadair bought the rights to his proposal in 1976 but decided to give it a wider fuselage. This late modification provided Challenger with the extra roominess and large, quiet cabin it's now known and coveted for. From the smallest Challenger 300 to the largest 850, every Challenger model sports this interior, along with well-defined Fowler flaps on the lower side of each wing.

The 600 provided the foundation for every Challenger model that followed, but was quickly superseded by the 601 series which included more dependable and powerful General Electric engines. Bombardier acquired Canadair in 1986 and quickly set to work on the Challenger 604 series. The Challenger 300-600 series seat 8-12 passengers respectively - with a maximum range of 4,010 nautical miles, while the 800 series can be stretched to hold anywhere from 16 to 19 passengers in a full suite of rooms.