Bombardier has launched a long-anticipated upgrade of its popular Challenger 604 large business jet, with new cockpit, redesigned cabin and larger windows. A mock-up of the new Challenger 605 was unveiled this afternoon at the Orlando Executive static display.
“The world’s best-selling large business jet is getting better,” says Scott White, Challenger product planning manager. After 10 years and more than 300 aircraft, the Challenger 604 will be replaced by the new model with deliveries beginning early in 2007. “We are confident the 605 will increase our market share,” he says.
The biggest change is a new flightdeck using the same Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 integrated avionics as the smaller Challenger 300. Four 10 x 12in (255 x 305mm) liquid-crystal displays replace the 604’s smaller cathode-ray tubes and provide 55% more display area, says White.
Electronic Jeppesen charts are introduced as standard on the 605, thanks to the bigger displays. A touchscreen on the co-pilot’s side console, which controls the new Collins Airshow 21 cabin electronic system, can also display charts, making the 605 “paperless capable”, says White.
The Challenger’s widebody cabin gets a makeover “to improve the feeling of spaciousness”, says White. Redesign of the sidepanels and overhead passenger service units adds slightly to width and volume, while galley storage space is increased and lavatory ergonomics improved.
Windows
But the biggest visible change is to the windows, which are moved up 2.5in and are 2in taller. “You no longer need to duck to look outside,” says White. Aside from bigger windows, a longer tailcone is the only external cue that differentiates the new model from the 604.
Three floorplans are offered, from a nine-passenger layout similar to the 604’s, to a new 11-seat interior. LED lighting is standard. The Ethernet-based cabin electronic system includes a local-area network as standard, with high-speed satellite data communications as an option.
The avionics test aircraft is already on the assembly line in Montreal, and will fly in the first quarter of next year, leading to Canadian and US certification in the fourth quarter. The 605 will cost slightly more than a similarly equipped 604, White says.
Lighter avionics and other weight reductions improve payload/range performance and the more-reliable electronics are expected to increase the Challenger’s already impressive despatch reliability of around 99.8%. “We have improved the traditional strengths of the aircraft: dependability, reliability, comfort, range and overall great value,” says White.
GRAHAM WARWICK
Source: Flight Daily News
