Nextant Flies Fusion-equipped Challenger 604

AIN – Nextant Aerospace has completed the first flight of a Bombardier Challenger 604 outfitted with a Rockwell Collins Pro Line Fusion retrofit cockpit with touchscreen displays, the company said today. The aircraft, registered N604RC (cn 5662), was built in September 2006. It flew for Centene Corporation as N868CC until June 2017, when Rockwell Collins bought the aircraft and re-registered it to N604RC. It has been flying between CGF and YNG on test flights since September 10, 2017. The avionics retrofit being tested on N604RC is one of the components of Nextant’s remanufactured 604XT, which was announced in May at EBACE. However, Nextant is also offering the retrofit as a standalone product for Challenger 604 operators and announced the launch customer, Houston-Texas based business man, Toby Neugebauer, of Windrock Capital and Quantum Energy Partners, for the Fusion upgrade last week.

The Fusion-equipped 604 has completed two flight segments and will continue with flight-test protocols for the remainder of this week before the test article is flown to the NBAA Convention in Las Vegas next month for the first public showing of the new cockpit. The company also plans to announce more details about the 604XT program at the show.

“The cockpit performed flawlessly,” said Nextant vice president of flight operations Nathan Marker. “The Pro Line Fusion cockpit not only addresses pending regulatory and obsolescence requirements that the Challenger is facing, but it also provides the flight crew with the absolute latest in forward-fit technology. The touch-interactive technology is very intuitive and the overall integration provides exceptional situational awareness for the flight crew.”

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