By Jim Mitchell – Executive Sales Director for Elliott Jets
Produced from 2004-2014, the Challenger 300 is the most successful super-mid-sized jet ever built. During this production run, Bombardier delivered over 450 airplanes before upgrading to the Challenger 350. The 300 was the first to fully define the “Super Mid-Sized class” and its unique position in the market combines transcontinental range, large cabin, fast cruise speeds, excellent short-field performance with low acquisition and operating costs.
Performance
With so many exceptional performance features, the Challenger 300 is known for its flexibility. Its range of over 3,000 nautical miles at full take-off weight allows it to reach virtually any city pair in North America, Europe from the East Coast and South America from the Southern United States. In addition to its transcontinental range, the Challenger 300 has an excellent high-speed cruise of Mach .82 and has set record time on three over-water NAA/FAI sanctioned flights and two continental US NAA/FAI sanctioned flights.
With excellent climb performance, at max
Comfort
At 6 foot 1 inch tall and 7 feet 2 inches wide, the Challenger 300 has widest cabin in its segment, and has a cross section that rivals even large business gets. With 860 cubic feet of total cabin volume, the cabin is 29 feet in length, with 16.5 feet in length in the main cabin area. It is typically equipped with a double club configuration with berthable seats that swivel 180 degrees and has a flat floor throughout the cabin.
The 106 cubic foot of baggage can hold up to 750 pounds of luggage, and passengers have unrestricted access to the heated and pressurized baggage compartment during flight. The later serial number Challenger 300s have a cabin entertainment system designed by Lufthansa Technik that controls audio and video during flight. The cabin’s digital audio uses trim panel speakers, which allow for high-fidelity sound, evenly dispersed sound throughout the cabin.
Value
In addition to flexibility in performance and comfort, the Challenger 300 can be acquired at a price less than almost all aircraft in the Super Midsize class. At the time of this writing (Mid 2019), a 2014 Challenger 300 can be acquired for 13MM. That’s 30 percent less than a Falcon 2000S, 15 percent less than a Legacy 500, and 19 percent less than a Gulfstream G280 and just 8 percent more than a Citation X+. In addition to acquisition cost, the Challenger 300 has the lowest direct operating costs of all aircraft in the Super Midsize segment.
Conclusion
The long production run of the Challenger 300 provides a wide range of purchase price entry options for this aircraft. This aircraft offers an excellent opportunity for light and midsize jet operators looking to move into a larger cabin without a major increase in acquisition cost and operating expense. The Challenger 300 is still the market leader in the Super Midsize segment.
To find the right Challenger 300 for you, contact us at sales@elliottjets.comor call 844.937.5387.
Jim Mitchell joined Elliott Aviation in 2010. He has been in the aviation business for over 30 years, holds a Bachelors Degree in Business, and has over 2,500 hours of flight time with Commercial, Instrument, and CFI ratings. Jim first started selling used piston aircraft while also managing a full service FBO business. In those years Jim saw first-hand all facets of the aviation business including maintenance, charter, aircraft management, fuel sales, and hangar storage. Prior to joining Elliott, Jim worked for Cessna Aircraft selling new and used Citations. He can be reached at 952.944.1200 or by email at jmitchell@elliottjets.com.