Bombardier Advances Business Jet Cockpit and Cabin Systems Innovation with Challenger 3500 Entry into Service

The Sept. 20 entry into service (EIS) of Bombardier’s Challenger 3500 also marked the operational launch of a new era of innovation inside the super mid-sized jet’s cockpit and cabin systems. These include an autothrottle system and a voice-control cabin management system enabled by a neural network.

Les Goldberg, Chairman and CEO of Entertainment Technology Partners—a Florida-based multi-brand entertainment company—is the launch customer of the first Challenger 3500.

“As a previous owner of a Challenger 350 business jet, I can say with confidence that Bombardier has hit all the right notes in creating a next-generation aircraft,” Goldberg said in a press release announcing the Challenger 3500 EIS. “The cabin interior is spectacular, and I appreciate the added comfort and productivity that these new features will bring to our worldwide travels. I’m very proud that Entertainment Technology Partners is right at the start of this exciting next chapter in the Challenger evolution.”

Mathieu St-Cyr, manager of sales engineering for Bombardier shared some details about new features of the jet’s cockpit and cabin systems with Avionics International ahead of the annual NBAA convention in Orlando. Here, we highlight some of the innovation featured in the Challenger 3500’s cockpit and cabin systems, while including more details in the online version of this article due to timing of the availability of Bombardier engineers as they prepared for EIS.

Cockpit Systems

Pilots can power-up the Challenger 3500 in less than 7 minutes, according to Mindy Huang, a sales engineer for Bombardier who lead a virtual walkthrough of the new aircraft in May.

The auto-throttle system on the new Challenger uses software supplied by AutoPower system supplied by New York-based mechanical and electromechanical aircraft systems and testing manufacturer Safe Flight, LLC. The system includes speed control for cruise, descent, approach and landing as well as go-arounds and single engine operations.

In emailed statements to Avionics, St-Cyr said the aircraft’s Pro Line Fusion 21 avionics system meets minimum performance objectives required by civil aviation regulators to fly required navigation performance (RNP) approaches.

“Bombardier included the dual [satellite-based augmentation system/wide area augmentation system] SBAS/WAAS GPS, dual [flight management system] FMS with [localizer performance with vertical guidance] LPV and RNP approach. The LPV approach using a [global navigation satellite system] GNSS signal SBAS/WAAS provides the necessary accuracy to conduct an approach to LPV minima and have a decision altitude (DA) as low as 200 feet high, and it helps minimize missed approaches,” St-Cyr said.

Challenger 3500 pilots can customize the layout of the four displays, including their view of the separate synthetic and enhanced vision system applications that are part of the latest Pro Line Fusion upgrades from Collins Aerospace. The optional head-up display for the new Challenger uses the combined vision—enhanced and synthetic—system first launched on the Global 5500.

Challenger 3500 pilots will also have access to what Bombardier describes as an "eco app" developed by SITA that is designed to "specifically optimize flight plans and reduce fuel burn" by using SITA's existing “eWAS Pilot with OptiFlight” technology. SITA describes its EFB Weather Awareness Solution (eWAS) as a cloud-hosted tablet application that gives pilots access to turbulence alerting, areas of icing, and other flight environment conditions.

“The ECO app uses advanced machine learning algorithms to continuously improve flight optimization models tailored to an operator’s specific aircraft characteristics and utilization. It allows flight crews to optimize their flight profiles while maximizing fuel efficiency, lowering CO2 emissions and improving situational awareness for a safer, more efficient and comfortable flight,” Bombardier’s St-Cyr told Avionics. “The ECO app also offers real-time, graphically enhanced view of weather sources and forecasts to help flight crews fly optimized trajectories and adjust flight plans dynamically to rapidly changing weather conditions.”

On the Challenger 3500, the eWAS app will use data captured from the Smart Link Plus system.

Health Monitoring Systems

At its standard baseline configuration, the Challenger 3500 generates real-time in-service flight operational and maintenance data based on the use of a quick access recorder, aircraft interface device (AID) and new maintenance software applications that anchor the health monitoring elements of the aircraft’s avionics computing network. These systems are networked and natively connected to Smart Link, the in-flight monitoring and reporting software-as-a-service platform first launched by Bombardier in 2016. The focus for Smart Link at the time was on using ACARS to send in-flight fault notifications in real time about in-flight maintenance events.

On the Challenger 3500 however, at EIS, the new jet has Smart Link Plus, a system that has been featured in Avionics coverage since its launch at NBAA 2020. As a brief recap, Smart Link Plus is enabled by Avionica’s aviONS all-in-one remote data concentrator, airborne data loader and quick access recorder. The aviONS box also has a 4G gateway and the ability to capture ARINC 429 and 717 data.

"It’s the digital evolution of services that lets our operators stay connected to the aircraft at all times, this smart technology can identify and troubleshoot problems in real time,” Bombardier CEO Éric Martel said, commenting on Smart Link Plus at EBACE 2022. “By the time an aircraft lands, the maintenance team is already aware of the issue and can be waiting on the ground with a solution."

Additionally, an upgrade over the previous 2015 version of Smart Link, the Plus version gives Challenger 3500 operators the ability to send data using cellular or satellite communications data links in addition to ACARS.

Neural Networked Cabin

When Bombardier first launched the Challenger 3500 at the October 2021 NBAA BACE in Las Vegas, the French business jet maker prominently highlighted its cabin as being the industry’s first “voice-controlled” cabin What they didn’t reveal at the time, is how that voice-control is enabled through a neural network inside the cabin.

Neural networks are a sub-class of systems within the overall field of machine learning. Experts define neural networks as a computational model, consisting of learning algorithms that function similar to the way neurons within the human brain communicate through synapses to help enable normal bodily functions.

NVIDIA for example, defines the term as “a biologically inspired computational model that is patterned after the network of neurons present in the human brain” and “can also be thought of as learning algorithms that model the input-output relationship.”

The voice control element of the cabin management system is operated by passengers through a smart phone application developed by Bombardier.

“The voice control system is a neural network-based solution that understands the natural language (ambiguity), and was developed to be accessible through mobile or tablet devices,” Bombardier’s St-Cyr said. “It has been designed to work without an internet connection, delivering a reliable, fast and private solution that is another first to be integrated seamlessly into the aircraft’s cabin management system.”

Wireless charging pads, and standard 24-inch 4K displays are also standard features of the cabin.

Challenger 3500 operators flying in North America, North Atlantic, and European airspace will have access to Ka-band in-flight connectivity, while those in the continental U.S. and parts of Canada will also have the option to select 4G air-to-ground IFC, according to cabin specifications released by Bombardier.

“When it comes to purposeful technology, the Challenger 3500 aircraft leads the way, with an exclusive in-class 24-inch (61 cm) 4K display, wireless chargers conveniently located throughout the cabin and a media bay that accommodates and connects to the most popular streaming devices and the latest gaming consoles,” St-Cyr said. “The Challenger 3500 aircraft is the smartest and the most technologically advanced aircraft in its class.”