Bombardier Challenger 300: specifications, range, cabin

The aircraft the super-midsize class began with in its present form. Everything that came later, its own successor included, started from this design.

Specifications

Full data and photos are on the model page.

What this design delivered

A cabin 1.85 m high on a two-pilot crew. Before the Challenger 300, standing up in the cabin meant moving into the heavy class, with a three-person crew and costs of an entirely different order. This aircraft moved that boundary down.

A width of 2.19 m against a height of 1.85 m gives a proper aisle, a separate galley and a lavatory of normal size.

Range of 3 100 nautical miles. It covers long domestic routes and short international ones without a technical stop.

A ceiling of 45 000 ft. The flight levels of the heavy aircraft: the aeroplane runs above the main traffic and above most of the weather. Fewer deviations around thunderstorm fronts, more predictable time en route.

Speed up to M 0.83. The upper mark for the class.

What to check on the particular aircraft

Life remaining on the engines. The HTF7000 is a substantial unit and an overhaul costs serious money. The first thing to establish is whether an active engine programme is in place: it converts a one-off blow into a predictable monthly payment.

Cycles separately from hours. The airframe has two counters. An aircraft flown on short legs accumulates incomparably more cycles for the same number of hours.

Calendar limits. Maintenance checks fall due on hours and on dates alike. An aircraft that has flown little and then stood for several years can cost more to put right than one that has been flying actively.

Avionics. The model was built until 2014 and equipment requirements have changed since. Establish the fit and plan the retrofit.

Documentation. Continuity of the entries, airframe time reconciling with the engines and components, airworthiness directives and service bulletins complied with, the provenance of replaced components.

Who it suits

The mission the aircraft was built for: 8–9 people, legs of up to five and a half thousand kilometres, work in flight with the ability to stand and walk down the cabin. Corporate flying on a regular schedule, long domestic routes, short international ones.

Intercontinental non-stop legs and a berth put you in Heavy and Ultra-Long Range territory: a different class and different money.

What to weigh when choosing between the 300 and the 350

The cabin is identical on both. The successor received more powerful engines, canted winglets, another 410 kg of payload and a hundred miles of range.

If you have margin left on payload and range, the Challenger 300 gives you the same cabin and the same speed for noticeably less. From what I see in the market, the median on the 300 is around $10.5 million against $18 million for the 350.

The other side: one of these sells in 165 days on average against 72 for the successor. Exiting the asset will take longer.

I have more than twelve years in aviation: five in aircraft leasing, seven in business aviation. Buying and selling aircraft is my daily work, and deals on the Bombardier Global and the Embraer Legacy have gone through my hands. In my experience a deal on the used market closes in about two months, while a new aircraft takes around a year and a half to reach the customer. Upkeep on an aircraft runs at 10–20% of its value a year — crew, pilot training, the operator, parking, fuel. When the mission does not call for the purchase, I say so plainly.

Conclusion

The Challenger 300 remains a sensible choice precisely because the 350 appeared: the successor pushed prices on the predecessor down, while the cabin, the speed and the ceiling stayed practically the same.

What decides it is the condition of the particular aircraft: life remaining, the status of the engine programmes, the avionics fit and what the logbooks say.

Alexander Filimonov — business aviation: sourcing, acquisition and entry into service of aircraft.