Bombardier CRJ-200

CRJ100 / CRJ200
J-Air CRJ200
Role	Regional jet/Business jet
National origin	Canada
Manufacturer	Bombardier Aerospace
First flight	10 May 1991
Introduction	1992 (Lufthansa)
Status	Out of production, active service
Primary users	SkyWest Airlines ExpressJet Endeavor Air Air Wisconsin
Produced	1991-2006
Number built	1021
Unit cost	US$24-39.7 million (2006)
Developed from	Bombardier Challenger 600
Variants	CRJ700/900/1000

The Bombardier CRJ100 and CRJ200 are a family of regional airliners manufactured by Bombardier, and based on the Canadair Challenger business jet. These regional jet models were formerly known as the Canadair CRJ100 and CRJ200.

The aircraft was based on the Canadair Challenger design, which was purchased by Canadair from Bill Lear in 1976.

The wide fuselage of the Challenger which seats 2 passengers on each side of the aisle suggested early on to Canadair officials that it would be straightforward to stretch the aircraft to accommodate more seats, and there was a plan for a Challenger 610E, which would have had seating for 24 passengers. That lengthening did not occur, the effort being canceled in 1981, but the idea did not disappear.

In 1987, studies began for a much more ambitious stretched configuration, leading to the formal launch of the Canadair Regional Jet program in the spring of 1989. The "Canadair" name was retained despite the fact that Bombardier had bought out the company. The first of three development machines for the initial CRJ100 performed its first flight from Montréal–Mirabel International Airport on 10 May 1991, though the first prototype (C-FCRJ) was lost in a spin mishap on July 26, 1993 near the Bombardier test center in Wichita, Kansas. The type obtained certification in late 1992, with initial delivery to customers late in that year.

The CL-600 design was stretched 5.92 meters (19 feet 5 inches) to create the CRJ100, with fuselage plugs fore and aft of the wing, two more emergency exit doors, plus a reinforced and modified wing. Typical seating was 50 passengers, the maximum load being 52 passengers. The CRJ100 featured a Collins ProLine 4 avionics suite, Collins weather radar, GE CF34-3A1 turbofans with 41.0 kN (4,180 kgp / 9,220 lbf), new wings with extended span, more fuel capacity, and improved landing gear to handle the higher weights. It was followed by the CRJ100 ER subvariant with 20% more range, and the CRJ100 LR subvariant with 40% more range than the standard CRJ100. The CRJ 100 SE sub-variant was produced to more closely meet the needs of corporate and executive operators.