The Bombardier Challenger 850 or CL-600-2B19 Challenger 850 (CRJ2) is a
twin-engine executive jet aircraft for 2 crewmembers and up to 14
passengers. Development of the CL-600 Challenger family started in 1974, when Bill
Lear designed the LearStar 600, a 12-place business jet. Canadair bought
the manufacturing rights in 1976, and renamed the design Canadair CL-600 Challenger.
The first prototype of the airplane flew on 8 November 1978. The second
and third prototypes flew in March and July 1979. On 3 April 1980, a
test flight with the first prototype above the Mojave Desert ended in a
disaster, with the airplane crashing due to a deep stall. In August
1980, certification was granted with temporary restrictions. Deliveries
of the CL-600, powered by two Lycoming ALF-502L turbofans started in
1981. The design was developed further and in 1984 Canadair studied
about a stretched airliner based on the CL-600. After Bombardier
Aerospace bought Canadair in 1986, design studies for a stretched
airliner version of the Bombardier Challenger family of business jets
started again in 1987. This design study resulted in the Canadair
Regional Jet program. The first of three development aircraft flew on 10
May 1991 and customer deliveries of the CRJ-100, equipped with two
General Electric CF-34-3A1 engines, started in October 1992. The CRJ-200
series of the Canadair Regional Jet is powered by two General Electric
CF-34-3B1 engines and entered production in 1995. The Bombardier Challenger 850 was launched in 2005 and is derived
from the Bombardier CL-600-2B19 Regional Jet CRJ200LR twin-engine regional jet airliner.
The Challenger 850 jet is powered by two General Electric CF34-3B1 Turbofans and
has a transcontinental range and a high-speed cruise of Mach 0.80. |
On 29 April 2011, the 2007-built Bombardier Challenger 850 (CRJ2) s/n 8074 RA-67218, operated by Kolavia,
arrived from Moscow at Groningen Airport Eelde in the Netherlands. The return flight was on 3 May. The CRJ-200 based
Challenger 850 business jet was registered first C-FOMN with Bombardier
Inc., Montreal, Canada, on 4 July 2007. However the aircraft is marketed as a Bombardier Challenger 850 it
was officialy registered as a Bombardier CL-600-2B19. Registration
C-FOMN was cancelled on 10 April 2008 and given as exported to Russia
the next day. In Russia the aircraft was registered RA-67218 with JSC
Kogalymavia, also known as Kolavia. |