Deliveries of updated business jet to start in mid-2007
Bombardier has launched a long-anticipated upgrade of its best-selling Challenger 604 large business jet. The new Challenger 605 introduces a Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 integrated flightdeck, redesigned cabin and larger windows.
After 10 years and more than 300 aircraft, the Challenger 604 will be replaced by the new model with deliveries beginning in 2007. The avionics test aircraft will fly in the first quarter of next year, leading to Canadian and US certification in the fourth quarter. “We are confident the 605 will increase our market share,” says Scott White, Challenger product planning manager.
The biggest change is a new flightdeck using the same Collins Pro Line 21 integrated avionics as the smaller Challenger 300. Four 255 x 305mm (10 x 12in) liquid-crystal displays replace the 604’s smaller cathode-ray tubes and provide 55% more display area, says White. New primary flight display features include full-width artificial horizon, stall indication, flightpath vector and angle-of-attack gauge.
Electronic Jeppesen charts on the multifunction display are introduced as standard on the 605. An arm-mounted touchscreen on the co-pilot’s side console, which controls the new Collins Airshow 21 cabin electronic system, can also display geo-referenced charts, making the baseline 605 “paperless capable”, says White. Options include datalink graphical weather, enhanced map overlays and a pilot-side touchscreen.
The widebody cabin gets a makeover “to improve the feeling of spaciousness”, says White. Redesign of the side panels and overhead passenger service units adds slightly to width and volume, while galley storage space is increased and lavatory ergonomics improved. More reliable and durable LED cabin lighting is introduced.
But the biggest visible change is to the cabin windows, which are moved up 65mm and made 50mm taller. A longer, carbonfibre tailcone is the only other external cue that differentiates the new model from the 604.
Three floorplans are offered, from a baseline nine-passenger layout similar to the 604’s to a new 11-seat interior with smaller lavatory. The digital cabin electronic system includes a local-area network as standard, with XM Satellite radio and high-speed satellite data communications as options.
Source: Flight International
