The Challenger 600 series of aircraft originated in 1976, from the LearStar 600, a concept that the founder of Learjet, Bill Lear, presented to Canadair. Canadair was the original builder of the Challenger series of aircraft before Bombardier purchased Canadair.
The 601-1A received its Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) in 1983. It was in production from 1983 to 1987 and 66 examples were produced. It is essentially a Model 600 with General Electric CF-34-1A engines. When the engines go through hot section or overhaul they may be upgraded to the 601-3A performance. More than half the fleet has taken advantage of this option. The range is 3,180 nautical miles with seats full and NBAA IFR reserves.
