Story ID: 
Constant Completes 15th Challenger 300 Mid-life Check
By: Chad Trautvetter
Caption:  Aviation has completed its fifteenth 7,500-cycle inspection event on a Bombardier Challenger 300; only 18 such inspections have been completed to date.
Word Count: 170
Constant Aviation has completed its fifteenth 7,500-cycle inspection event on a Bombardier Challenger 300, the U.S.-based MRO network announced yesterday. To date, only 18 such inspections have been completed worldwide, it said.

This maintenance check is the most comprehensive inspection on the Challenger 300 airframe, requiring extensive dismantling, significant non-destructive testing, ground service equipment tooling, and expert training, it said. “Inspections of this magnitude are still rare in the industry. Introduced in 2004, the Challenger 300 fleet is just beginning to reach this "mid-life inspection" milestone, he added.

According to Constant Aviation president and CEO Stephen Maiden, maintenance technicians at his company have accumulated more than 150,000 man-hours of experience on these mid-life inspections. “We have learned and gained efficiencies from the experience. The first delivery required more than 10,000 man-hours. Now with 15 delivered, we are truly efficient with a streamlined and repeatable system in place that optimizes all of the intricate processes.”

Overall, 457 Challenger 300s were manufactured, and most are still in operation today, Constant said.