ENTER THE GAP
This upmarket thrust by Bombardier, Dassault, and Gulfstream is creating a noticeable gap in entry-level large-cabin business aircraft, ones with 4,000- to 6,000-nm range. Currently, there are seven players in this field: the Bombardier Challenger 650 and Global 5500, Dassault Falcon 2000LXS, Falcon 900LX and Falcon 6X, and Gulfstream G400 and G500. Each offers some features buyers expect in a 21st-century large-cabin aircraft. None offer them all. Each of the seven models merits a close look to identify its strong points and disadvantages. Dig deeply into the numbers, and the size of the large cabin chasm becomes quite apparent. The senior citizen of this class is the Bombardier Challenger 650. It’s grandfathered onto the original 1980 Challenger 600 FAA type certificate. It’s the least expensive large-cabin aircraft, but it offers the widest cabin, measuring almost eight feet wide at elbow height and nearly seven feet wide at the floor. It’s six feet high in the center, so this is one of the most comfortable large-cabin aircraft, at least among those with only two seating sections. The 650’s floor plan most commonly has a four- chair forward club section and an aft four-seat conference grouping flanked by a three- or four-seat divan on the opposite side. Virtually all aircraft are completed with a forward galley ahead of the main
two-section seating area, and a single aft lavatory with a rear door that provides inflight access to the aft baggage compartment. There isn’t a second forward lavatory for the crew. The Challenger 650 is the fifth iteration of the legacy design, featuring larger cabin windows, updated avionics, and plusher interior furnishings. It makes the grade as a long-range large-cabin aircraft because you can squeeze out 4,000-nm legs, but only if you’re willing to slow down to Mach 0.74 (425 knots) average cruise speed. A 4,000-nm trip takes 9 hours, 30 minutes aboard this aircraft. Push the Challenger 650 up to Mach 0.80, and its range drops to 3,700 nm, smack in the middle of the current generation of super-mids. Climb performance isn’t something Challenger 650 operators brag about, either. When departing at maximum takeoff weight, it’ll only reach 37,000 feet on initial climb. It’s also limited to a 41,000-foot ceiling, so you’re stuck in the organized track systems with Boeings and ‘Buses most of the time when crossing oceans. Plus, the cabin altitude at FL 410 is nearly 7,000 feet. The Challenger 650’s comparatively high wing loading, lack of leading edge high-lift devices, and 30-year-old engine technology also result in relatively long runway requirements, particularly when departing from high- density-altitude airports.
Gulfstream G400 cabin
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