Improved CRJ

[Russ]

I have heard rumour that the CRJ may have a new model of the 50 seat jet soon. All the improvements of the -70, minus the plug. Bigger engines, leading edge devices, etc. Anyone have any 411 on it, concept only? Launch customer if its beyond that. Thanks

 

[sideshow]

I went on a tour of the Bombardier plant November of 2000 and they said back then that they were working on something to that effect. If you notice the current 50 seat RJ is a CRJ200 while the 70 and 90 seaters are the CRJ700 and CRJ900 respectively. I was told that Bombardier knew that the current CRJ was not desgned to airline specs and has a 20,000 cycle limit on the airframe. It's basically a converted challenger. The CRJ700 etc. have a cycle time of 80,000. So back then they said an updated 50 seater, the CRJ500 was in the works pretty much as you said. With the latest wing and the higher airline like cycle time and some of the other redesigned features of the 700. But that's just what I heard.

 

[DoinTime]

There was some discussion about this a little over a year and a half ago when NW put in that big order for 44-seaters. Rumor has it they were going to make a dedicated type for the 44-seater with a plug removed, slats, and a higherpower varient of the CF-34. They wanted it to be able to get off hot, high, short runways at max gross and have a 4 hour cruising range with reserves without it being weight restricted. Instead NW opted to get a standard 50 seater and yank some seats out. Economics prevail.

I think they are looking for a customer who is willing to spend the extra money for the upgrades before they try to develop the type. 50 seat economics is not very good with the stock model to start with let alone with all the hot rod parts on it. The -200 is a very capable aircraft as it is. There isn't much need to upgrade it other than pilot cool factor.

 

[Russ]

I agree with most of what you say, but in certain niche markets the new and improved would really help. Jackson hole comes to mind, as do a few other airports in mountainous terrain. Any underserved airport with a short runway also. As you surely know, the CRJ is no short field aircraft.

 

[Titan5]

Plug?

I keep reading about the possibility of the plug being removed on a new type CRJ. Can anyone tell me what you mean when you say plug. What does it do?

 

[sabreliner]

That was funny. Good one.

In all seriousness, a plug is essentially another bit of round tube added in front of or behind the wing to make the fuselage longer. The CRJ-200 is essentially a 601-3a with a plug added infront of the wing and one behind to make it a 50 seat a/c. The CRJ-700 is much different from the -200, but the same basic theory applies. The tube is still basically the same, and they could rmove "plugs" from ahead of and behind the wing and shorten it to a 50 seat airplane while keeping all of the other advances over the -200.

 

[CRJ puppy]

In VERY simplistic terms...think of a plug as exactly how they make a limo....add an identical section somewhere and beef up the brakes, acceleration a bit and you have a new, bigger vehicle. You can do the same in the opposite, remove a section and make it shorter...as do some "hot-rodders" and other speciality "show" cars are made...

 

[g159av8tor]

The CRJ-700 is based on the Global Express airframe and the CRJ-200, like someone else replied, the Challenger.

Tailwinds...

 

[CRJ puppy]

And the Challenger was always known as a bit of a "butt-plug" looking airplane wasn't it?