Deliveries and orders

«The Challenger 300 carries up to eight passengers over a non-stop range of 3,100 nm».

Bombardier has received firm orders for over 150 aircraft, including 17 for Bombardier’s subsidiary company Flexjet, based in Dallas, and Flexjet Europe, based in Hounslow, UK, for its fractional ownership program.

By owning a fractional interest in the aircraft, corporate customers have the availability of business jet travel. All aircraft operations are professionally managed on the owner’s behalf by Flexjet, including flight crew employment and maintenance for a fixed monthly management fee.

In July 2004, Qatar Airways ordered one Challenger 300 for delivery in March 2005 and the Royal Jet Group of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) ordered two Challengers 300 for delivery in mid-2005, with options for two additional aircraft.

In November 2004, the aircraft set a world speed record for its class for a journey from Carlsbad, California, to Bangor, Maine. With two pilots and eight passengers, the Challenger 300 traveled the 4,365 km (2,712 miles) in 4 hours 41 minutes, cruising at an average speed of 921km/h (572 mph).

Construction

The Challenger 300 has a conventional all-metal airframe. Winglets reduce lift-induced drag. Canadair is responsible for building the forward section of the fuselage including the cockpit and primary flight controls. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries builds the wings.

Bombardier Aerospace in Belfast is responsible for construction of the centre fuselage. The rear fuselage and tail are built by AIDC of Taiwan. Hawker De Havilland Australia supplies auxiliary power installation unit.

The component sections are transported to the Bombardier Aerospace Learjet facility in Wichita for final assembly. Final assembly has also begun at Bombardier’s Montreal Dorval plant and all Challenger 300 production is to move to Montreal.

ATR 42 Twin Turboprop Passenger Aircraft, Europe

The ATR 42-500 is one of a family of twin turboprop passenger aircraft developed and manufactured by Avions de Transport Regional (ATR). ATR, with headquarters in Toulouse, is a joint venture company between EADS and Finmeccanica / Alenia Aeronautica.

The family consists of the ATR 42 and ATR 72, of which the ATR 42-500 and ATR 72-500 are the models currently in production.

The -500 series new generation aircraft is equipped with new engines, new propellers, improved hot and high performance, increased weight capacity and an improved passenger cabin. The 50-seat ATR 42-500 was first certificated in July 1995.

ATR has received orders for 839 aircraft and 713 aircraft have been delivered. (ATR 42, 401 ordered and 390 delivered: ATR 72, 438 ordered and 323 delivered). The ATR aircraft are in service with 126 operators in 74 countries.

Recent orders for the ATR 42 include: Finncomm Airlines (eight plus eight options), Air Caledonie (two) and Air Madagascar (one), placed in June 2005, Pakistan International Airlines (seven), placed in November 2005 and Precision Air of Tanzania (three) in August 2006.

A variant for maritime patrol, the ATR 42MP Surveyor, is in service with the Italian Guardia di Finanza (three aircraft) and Coast Guard (two aircraft). The Surveyor can be fitted with search radar, Galileo Avionica mission system, Elettronica Electronic Support Measures (ESM), Forward-Looking Infrared (FLIR) and TV camera. The aircraft can spend up to eight hours on station, at 200nm from base.

The ATR 42-500 is certified to operate on unpaved runways through installation of a kit to ensure landing gear and lower fuselage protection. Special cold weather procedures allow operation down to – 54°C.

The ATR aircraft family is certified for low external noise performance according to FAR Part 36 and CH3 ICAO Annex 16, ensuring compliance well within the current and CH.4 noise regulations.

Date: 2015-02-16; view: 613