new challenger 605

[jb70]

hi all. I'm considering a new challenger 605. It's going to be my personnel plane. the seats will never be full lol. anyways does it actual live up to it's performance #. I just think its a lot of plane for the buck versus the competition. i may consider the challenger 300 but I will be travelling to hawaii and to sydney aus once a year so that's why i like the extra range of the 605. I would like to here from other operators, pilots the pros and cons of these aircraft. I've also looked at falcon 2000 and 900 and gulfstream and they all seem extreamly expensive compared to the challengers. are they worth the extra bucks? thanks for the help. jb.

[CL30]

Hi,

I've flown both the Challenger 300 and Falcon 900EX. The Challenger 300 is a great performer, runs circles around the Falcon in the climb. You can go around 7 hours before its time to land in the 300. It can get you from Toronto to the west coast of Europe no problem. I heard in training that flights to Hawaii were also no problem. The next segment to Sydney might need more consideration.

The Falcon 900 is under-powered when its flown at its max gross weight. It does however have 9 - 9 and a half hours of flight time before you need to land. We've done Toronto - Beijing with just one tech stop and crew change. With three engines - you feel very safe in all kinds of weather and over water. It is much better flying than any Bombardier product.

The Falcon 2000 is not as good as the Falcon 900 in performance from what I've heard at ground school but I haven't seen the numbers for myself.

A Gulfstream is a very good option at the moment. The low aquisition cost over the Falcon is a plus right now on used G550's and such however your fuel, training and operating costs will be much higher than the Challengers.

Take care,

[wallypilot]

where is the aircraft to be based? this may have an effect on the decision. The 605 will give you 8:30 minutes. We rarely run more than 8 hours, though.

[jb70]

ksdl

[wallypilot]

You'll make Hawaii no problem from SDL(2500nm), but there will have to be another stop between Hawaii and Australia(4400nm). The 605 is advertised as a 4000nm aircraft, but I wouldn't count on more than 3800nm.

As for our customers, I know that they love the cabin comfort for long haul.

And you're very right that the price is right in this current market. Investing in the challenger now would also be a good financial decision. IMHO, purchase prices will be much higher in 3-5 years.

I've never flown the gulfstream products, but they always seem to win customer service awards, and there are very few used ones for sale compared with the challengers or even global express (in terms of percentage of worldwide fleet), so I would imagine that the G550 wold have a higher resale vale.

[Truckpilot]

The 605 is a great aircraft, it will certainly meet your needs. The cabin is nice and wide and the subtle differences from the 604 are a welcomed change. As wallypilot mentioned, you will need another stop when heading to Australia. Fly at high speed cruise with shorter legs and the overall difference vs pushing the range limit is minimal, plus it's nice to get out and stretch.

[jb70]

thanks for the info guys. i'm going to the factory in a few months and i'll try to make my deal. once again thanksfor he help. just one other question is the optional bevs a good value? compared to other options?

[xsbank]

I think you will really like the 605 - most people who buy them sit in the back and it has a very quiet, comfortable cabin. The 605 was designed for passenger comfort so its not as fast or 'abrupt' as other jets so you will always arrive rested and comfortable. There are (or were) a couple of white-tails parked outside the factory which I am sure can be had for an excellent price. The 605 is fuel-efficient and I have never heard of an operator of a 604 or a 605 that has ever had a catastrophic - the engines are overhauled "on condition" so you will likely never have an overhaul as long as you own it. Get the "Smart Parts" option.

It is a mature design with very few issues, which may not be the case with a newer design.

Enjoy - let me know if you want someone to drive it!

[jb70]

thanks for the info xsbank. safety and comfort and range great now all i need is my wife to let me date a playboy bunny and i'm set lol. anyways yes i will be looking for drivers in a few months. i will post it. i can garantee great pay and benifits for the right applicant. plus i'm not some ass whos made a little money . i treat everyone with respect. it must be the canadian in me. anyways thanks again. jb

[Vickers vanguard]

the engines are overhauled "on condition" so you will likely never have an overhaul as long as you own it. Get the "Smart Parts" option.

It is a mature design with very few issues, which may not be the case with a newer design.

Enjoy - let me know if you want someone to drive it!

engines are bullet proof, old technology but they can take a lot........ and a lot of abuse, I miss that airplane.

[wallypilot]

thanks for the info xsbank. safety and comfort and range great now all i need is my wife to let me date a playboy bunny and i'm set lol. anyways yes i will be looking for drivers in a few months. i will post it. i can garantee great pay and benifits for the right applicant. plus i'm not some ass whos made a little money . i treat everyone with respect. it must be the canadian in me. anyways thanks again. jb

You going to "C" register it or "N"?

[jb70]

N

[NovaBoy]

If you can find a used 2000EX get it. It will run circles around a Challenger 300. 4000nm range. Plus if you are going to do any short hops with it, you can tanker a lot more fuel than a 300. There's only a 2000lb difference between max take off and max landing weight. Example, if you take off at max landing weight in the 2000EX you can go over 3000nm, the Challenger 300 will only get 1700nm. Nicer cabin, and better short field performance.

[Adam17]

If I may add to this topic, from a maintenance point of view, if you are to be based in Canada or atleast North America you will always be better with the Bombardier option as opposed to the Falcon as to recieve parts in an AOG situation will be a lot quicker as with the Falcon everything will be coming through le bourget in Paris. I work on both the Falcon 2000EX and the Challenger series in Switzerland at the moment and one of the main problems we have is when ordering parts for the Challengers, it takes twice as long as when we order parts for the Falcon series due to the parts coming direct from Bombardier in Montreal.

As for the Maintenance side of things, I much prefer working on the challengers as they are a LOT easier to work on in my eyes. You have to remember that Bombardier have been building commercial jets for years as well as the corprate jets and they put the same maintenance philosophy into both products with the end result being greater accessibility when changing parts which can be a real pig when working on the Falcons!

Hope you find my advice usefull.

Good luck and happy flying.

Adam.

[wallypilot]

In practice, can you really get 4000nm out of a 2000EX?

[NovaBoy]

In practice, can you really get 4000nm out of a 2000EX?

Once you put the winglets on you can.

[TheOneForYou]

jb70,

Please check your AvCanada mail inbox when you have the chance...If you haven't already.

Cheers!

[xsbank]

Novaboy, 605, not 300.

[jb70]

wow guys thanks for the info. cheers. jb