The best way to experience a business jet’s capabilities is to spend some time not only flying it but also sitting in the cabin during a cross-country trip to get the full passenger flavor. A trip and demo flight in Bombardier’s best-selling super-midsize Challenger 350 afforded an opportunity for both experiences, starting with a flight from Las Vegas to Hartford, Connecticut, followed by a local flight out of Bradley International Airport where Bombardier’s demo team is headquartered and also the site of one of Bombardier’s largest factory service centers.
The Challenger 350 started as the 300, first taking flight on Aug. 14, 2001 and entering service in January 2004. A clean-sheet design, the 300 extended Bombardier’s wide-cabin philosophy in a super-midsize design that could span the continental U.S. in one hop, and hence the model’s original name, Continental Business Jet. This was later changed to Challenger 300. The upgraded 350 entered service in mid-2014, and it has been selling well since, averaging 62 per year from 2015 through 2017, roughly twice as many as the Gulfstream G280 and about three times as many as the Embraer Legacy 450 and 500. The CL350 is popular with fleet operators, and the first one was delivered to NetJets. Through the first quarter of 2018, Bombardier delivered 12 CL350s.
More In Aircraft
