Chief Among Kansas City Charter Concerns
Bombardier, the Canadian company that set out to build snowmobiles in 1934 and today presides over a $25-billion Aerospace empire, announced that it has entered into an agreement with Lenexa, Kansas-based private aviation concern Airshare, by which the latter will acquire twenty Challenger 3500 super-midsize business jets.
The agreement doubles the size of Airshare’s Challenger fleet, with which the company supports its on-demand charter operations and fractional-ownership program.
In May 2021, Airshare delved into the super-midsize segment by dint of an order for up to twenty Challenger aircraft. The company’s new investment in Bombardier’s Challenger 3500 underscores Airshare’s success and connotes the quality and constancy of its operations.
Airshare president and CEO John Owen stated: “The response we have received to the Challenger entering our fractional program has been tremendous, from both new and existing customers. We are thrilled to extend our commitment with Bombardier and look forward to adding several more Challenger 3500s to our fleet. The strength of our partnership made it easy for us to accelerate our plans to order more of these aircraft to meet customer demand.”
Bombardier president and CEO Eric Martel set forth: “The entire team is immensely proud that Airshare continues to trust Bombardier to grow its fleet. Airshare and Bombardier share several values ??in common: we strive for excellence and work tirelessly to offer an exceptional experience to our clients. With this new order, our valued relationship continues to grow stronger, as the award-winning Challenger 3500 aircraft keeps elevating Airshare’s flight experience with its ultimate combination of performance and comfort.”
An evolution of Bombardier’s storied Challenger 300 aircraft family—of which the Canadian airframer has delivered over eight-hundred specimens since the type’s January 2004 introduction—the 3500 borrows DNA from Bombardier’s Global 7500 flagship.
By any measure, the Challenger 3500 is a formidable machine. The aircraft is capable of transporting up to ten passengers over distances of as much as 3,400-nautical-miles and at speeds as high as 0.83 Mach—albeit not contemporaneously.
The 3500’s 7,323-lbf. Honeywell HTF730 turbofan engines expediently motivate the 40,600-pound (MGTOW) aircraft directly to FL430 and—after a bit of fuel-burn—on up to its service ceiling of FL450. At altitude, passengers and crew alike benefit from the newest Challenger’s lowest-in-class cabin-altitude (4,860-feet at FL410) and an environmental system that continuously replenishes the pressure-vessel with fresh-air.
Challenger 3500 Pilots enjoy a host of cutting-edge technologies, to include a standard auto-throttle system, Head-Up Display (HUD), dual FMS systems with LPV (Localizer Performance with Vertical guidance) and RNP (Required Navigation Performance) capabilities, dual IRS, Synthetic Vision, dual SBAS/WAAS (Satellite-Based Augmentation System/Wide Area Augmentation System) GPS, and MultiScan weather radar.
In addition to its numerous cockpit technologies, the Challenger 3500 features voice-controlled cabin lighting, environmental, and entertainment systems; wireless device chargers; and the only 24-inch, 4K display in the super-midsize class.
Speaking to the machine’s capabilities, Bombardier regional vice president Ettore Rodaro set forth: “The new Challenger 3500 aircraft is the perfect charter solution … offering a truly seamless travel experience. With its impressive performance, consistent reliability, and exceptional smooth ride, the Challenger 3500 is the industry’s leading super-midsize business jet.”
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