Flight International - 5 June 2018

flightglobal.com

Over two decades, Challenger 300 and now
350 have been their sector’s dominant force

Gerzanics (foreground) briefed on the 350 by Bombardier demonstration pilot Denny Yount

Linda Epstein

Linda Epstein

From a pilot’s perspective

the Challenger 350 is an

honest aircraft with

predictable flying qualities

❯❯

also retains the automatic power reserve fea-

ture, which increases safety by providing full

thrust to higher temperatures in the event of

an engine failure.

Enlarged winglets, canted at a lower angle,

increase wingspan by 1.54m (5.0ft) and yield a

higher aspect ratio for the fixed leading-edge

supercritical wing. Internal changes to the

trailing link main landing gear allowed maxi-

mum take-off (TO) weight to be increased by

794kg (1,750lb) over its predecessor.

Bombardier has also made improvements

to the flightdeck. The Challenger 350 retains

Rockwell Collins ProLine avionics, now

called ProLine Advanced. This brings the

Challenger 350’s suite more in line with the

Global’s Fusion suite. While it has the same

number (four) of 12 x 10in LCD displays, the

Advanced has notable improvements. The at-

titude director indicator is now wall to wall

with synthetic vision, a standard feature. In

addition, the primary flight display now dis-

plays a flightpath vector (FPV), bringing the

350’s display up to what is now industry

standard. As would be expected, the cockpit

is also paperless. One feature certain to be ap-

preciated, especially during the summer, is a

standard MultiScan weather radar system.

With up to 320nm (592km) range it promises

hands-free, clutter-free threat detection for

convective activity. For operators with oce-

anic missions the type can also be equipped

with Future Air Navigation System (FANS-

1/A).

The passenger cabin has also been im-

proved. It still features a wide flat floor, with

typical seating for eight in a dual club config-

uration. A divan is optional, and when the

belted lavatory is included there is seating for

10. The refreshed cabin is also more open and
    airy than the Challenger 300’s. Cabin win-
    dows are 50mm longer, providing 12% more
    ambient light. The footprint of the ceiling-
    mounted passenger service units (oxygen
    masks and lights) has been reduced. Rather
    than being in cabin-long canoes, they are now

housed in slim pods over each pair of club

seats. A Lufthansa-sourced Nice cabin man-

agement system puts the Challenger 350’s

amenities at the passenger’s fingertips. In tune

with today’s expectations, it also has standard

wi-fi throughout the cabin with optional

broadband connectivity.

Nearly 14 years after Bombardier’s Challeng-

er 300 essentially defined the super-midsize

segment, FlightGlobal was invited to Bradley

International airport in Hartford, Connecticut to

see first hand how the upgraded Challenger 350

fits into this vibrant segment. Our preview air-

craft, SN 20701 (registration number N207BZ),

was production-representative with some op-

tional items, mostly related to the passenger

cabin. On what was a rainy day I accompanied

CHALLENGER 350

Our review flight was performed from Hartford airport using production-representative jet

Linda Epstein

5-11 June 2018 | Flight International | 29