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Email: office@businessaviation.com
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BOMBARDIER CHALLENGER 600
Bombardier Challenger 600: The Widebody Pioneer
The 1980 Revolution That Created a Category
In 1980, when business aviation meant cramped cabins and hunched passengers, Canadair (later Bombardier) introduced something radical: the Challenger 600 — the first business jet with a widebody fuselage that allowed passengers to stand up and walk freely. It was the aircraft that created the "large cabin" category and established Bombardier as a serious aerospace player.
Specifications That Redefined Comfort
• Range: 5,500 km (3,200 nm) — transcontinental capability
• Speed: 850 km/h (459 knots) — matching competitors with more comfort
• Cabin: 2.49 m width, 1.85 m height, 8.66 m length — walk-around space
• Capacity: 10 – 19 passengers in various configurations
• Innovation: First civil aircraft with supercritical wing and carbon brakes
The 600 was designed by Bill Lear (of Learjet fame) as the LearStar 600, but Canadair acquired the project and transformed it into the Challenger. Despite early financial troubles — $1.2 billion in development costs and only 33 deliveries by 1982 — the 600 established the foundation for aviation's most successful large cabin family.
• Speed: 850 km/h (459 knots) — matching competitors with more comfort
• Cabin: 2.49 m width, 1.85 m height, 8.66 m length — walk-around space
• Capacity: 10 – 19 passengers in various configurations
• Innovation: First civil aircraft with supercritical wing and carbon brakes
The 600 was designed by Bill Lear (of Learjet fame) as the LearStar 600, but Canadair acquired the project and transformed it into the Challenger. Despite early financial troubles — $1.2 billion in development costs and only 33 deliveries by 1982 — the 600 established the foundation for aviation's most successful large cabin family.
The Market Today
Only 84 Challenger 600s were built before the 601 replaced it in 1982. Today, they're rare collector's items — occasionally appearing for $300,000 – $600,000 as project aircraft. Most have been retired or converted to freighters.
The Verdict
The Bombardier Challenger 600 is aviation's Model T — primitive by modern standards, but revolutionary for its time. It proved that business jets could be spacious, not just fast.
For the buyer seeking a Challenger 600, you're acquiring the foundation — the aircraft that started Bombardier's dominance in large cabin aviation.
For the buyer seeking a Challenger 600, you're acquiring the foundation — the aircraft that started Bombardier's dominance in large cabin aviation.
BOMBARDIER CHALLENGER 600 OVERVIEW
BOMBARDIER CHALLENGER 600 ROUTE PERFOMANCE