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on the Challenger 601
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The Challenger is a low-wing jet powered by two turbofans mounted in aft fuselage pods, with a supercritical wing and a spacious, stand-up cabin with two seating sections. Subsequent variants have updated systems, avionics, and higher weights.
Developed by Bombardier as the Challenger 600 and given CF34 engines, it evolved in to the 601-1A, the 3A and a longer range 3R with increased fuel capacity.
The first flight of the Challenger 601, powered by CF34-3A1 turbofans, took place on 10 April, 1982 and the first delivery was made on 6 May, 1983 following certification earlier that year. There were 66 deliveries between then and 29 May, 1987.
28 September, 1986 saw the first flight of the 601-3A with its upgraded CF34-3A engines and a glass cockpit. It also had an additional, optional fuel tank in the tail. Certification by Transport Canada and the FAA was issued on 21 and 30 April, 1987 respectively. Deliveries of 134 units took place between 6 May, 1987 until October 1993.
The Challenger 601-3R is an extended-range option available on new 601-3As since 1989 and as retrofit to 601-1As and 601-3As; the range is increased to 3,585 nm. The first flight took place on 8 November, 1988. Bombardier received Transport Canada certification on 16 March, 1989. From 14 July, 1993 the standard production model incorporated extended range options, C34-3A1 engines and increased MTOW. 59 new-build aircraft were delivered by early 1996 and there has been no further production.
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| World fleet | Charter fleet | Typical pax | Cabin volume | Cruise | Range | Years | |
| Challenger 601-1A | ●● | ● | ●● | ●●●●●●●●●● | ●●●●●●● | ●●●●●●●● | ●●●●●●●●●● |
| Challenger 601-3A | ●●● | ●● | ●● | ●●●●●●●●●● | ●●●●●●● | ●●●●●●●●●● | |
| Challenger 601-3R | ●● | ● | ●● | ●●●●●●●●●● | ●●●●●●● | ●●●●●●●●●● |
| November 5, 2021 | Duncan to modify Avance L5 STCs to include Gogo 5G |
| October 8, 2021 | Bombardier jets gain MRO options in Michigan, Nebraska and Utah |
| June 10, 2021 | Peregrine approved to install ACA technology in Challengers |
| April 25, 2021 | Geneva line station to service Challengers and Globals |
| March 5, 2021 | Alto offers audio retrofit for Challengers |
| January 25, 2021 | Gogo and Duncan broaden scope of Avance partnership |
| December 21, 2020 | Duncan stacks up a selection of Honeywell STCs |
| November 8, 2020 | Duncan drives home DART deal and Gogo for Gulfstream |
| October 6, 2020 | C&L signs with Thomas Global for CRT display |
| May 17, 2020 | EAP defers minimum hour requirement to help operators |
| December 1, 2019 | Nomad adds Aruba to certification portfolio |
| November 10, 2019 | Eight more jets join Gama's US managed fleet |
| October 22, 2019 | EAP casts engine support net wider |
| October 12, 2019 | Challenger boosts AirMed long range capability |
| September 9, 2019 | Nomad paves the way for Cayman maintenance |
| September 8, 2019 | Duncan completes Challenger STC for SmartSky |
| June 18, 2019 | GE approves Tianjin service centre for Passport and CF34-3 |
| May 23, 2019 | Powerplant agreement ties GE and MNG |
| August 28, 2018 | JetReady boosts Challenger fleet in Orlando |
| March 12, 2018 | RUAG is first in Europe to complete CL601 ADS-B Out modification |
| November 13, 2012 | Me & my aircraft; Super midsize jets: Latest models bring advanced technology to super midsize arena |
| October 3, 2011 | JetFlite International bases a Challenger 601 in Moscow |
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