30 | Flight International | 5-11 June 2018 flightglobal.com
FLIGHT TEST
❯❯ Bombardier demonstration pilot Denny
Yount as he did the pre-flight walk-around in-
spection. The primary visual difference be-
tween the Challenger 350 and the earlier 300 is
the new model’s larger and less-upturned wing-
lets. Entry into the aircraft was via the seven-
step main cabin entry door. After a glance at the
luxurious cabin, configured in a club forward
and two seats and divan aft, I joined Yount on
the flightdeck.
Also on board as safety pilot was his col-
league Bruce Duggan. While all controls fell
readily to hand, I especially liked the electroni-
cally adjustable rudder pedals. Without power
on, the flightdeck was essentially identical to
the 300’s. One small difference, pointed out by
Yount, was the changed shape of the pedestal-
mounted rudder trim knob. While I had not
noticed its shape, I did notice that the knob
was in an unusual position. Located just aft of
the throttle quadrant it was at the left-hand
edge of the pedestal, not centred on it like al-
most every other aircraft I have flown.
With the auxiliary power unit up and run-
ning Yount placed its generator online, before
guiding me through flight management sys-
tem (FMS) initialisation and pre-start flows.
Once complete we used an old-fashioned
paper checklist, rather than the Challenger
350’s standard electronic version. The
FADEC-controlled starts had both engines at
IDLE in under 35s from initiation. After com-
pletion of post-start flows with the flaps set to
20°, a slight advance of the thrust levers was
all that was needed to get the Challenger roll-
ing. Having our own ship’s position presented
on the multifunction display airfield diagram
helped me negotiate the route to runway 24.
While not installed on our aircraft, Honey-
well’s SmartRunway and SmartLanding sys-
tems are an option that can enhance opera-
tional safety both on the ground and in the air.
During the taxi I found the tiller-controlled
nose-wheel steering allowed for easy and ac-
curate negotiation of 90° turns. On straight
portions of the route, pedal- controlled steer-
ing alone provided enough authority to track
the centreline.TAKE-OFF ROLL
Once on the runway and cleared for takeoff, I
advanced the thrust levers to the “TO” detent.
Thrust stabilised at 87.2%N1 and accelera-
tion was quite brisk, Yount calling out 80kt
(148km/h) shortly after brake release. V1 and
Vr were 119kt indicated air speed (KIAS) for
our light aircraft, there only being three occu-
pants and 2,722kg of fuel (gross weight:
14,110kg). The yoke-mounted pitch trim
switch was used to null forces during cleanup
and acceleration to 250KIAS for our climb
through 10,000ft. Once the aircraft was clean I
retarded the thrust levers to the CLB detent,
with the FADEC maintaining climb thrust.
Passing 10,000ft I lowered the nose and al-
lowed the Challenger to capture 280KIAS for
the climb to altitude. Passing 32,000ft a climb
Mach of M0.80 was held until we levelled at
flight level 430 (43,000ft) after burning 408kg
of fuel. Total time from brake release to levelChallenger 350 specifications
Accommodation
Crew 2 pilots
Passengers Up to 10*
Dimensions
Wingspan 21.0m
Length 20.9m
Height 6.1m
Wing area 48.5m^2
Passenger cabin (finished internal dimensions)
Length 7.68m**
Width 2.19m
Height 1.83m
Tail cone baggage space 3m^3 , 340kg
Weights***
Maximum take-off weight 18,416kg
Maximum landing weight 15,490kg
Std basic operating weight 11,249kg
Engines 2 x Honeywell HTF7350
Thrust 7,323lb flat-rated to ISA +15°C
Performance
Take-off distance**** 1,474m
Operating ceiling 45,000ft
Initial cruise altitude 43,000ft
Normal cruise speed M0.80
Range (M0.80)***** 3,200nm
Maximum operating speed M0.83
Landing distance****** 721m
Source: Bombardier *incl belted lavatory **excl baggage
compartment ***unusable fuel and oil, 2 crew, std avionics and
interior ****MTOW, SL, ISA *****MTOW, 2 crew + 8 passenger, NBAA
IFR ******typical landing weight, SL, ISANew model’s ProLine Advanced avionics suite features synthetic vision and weather radar
Linda Epstein