The Bombardier Challenger 600 series is a family of business
jets. It was first produced by Canadair as an independent
company and then produced from 1986 by Canadair as a division of
Bombardier Aerospace. Origins and Development  The origin of the
Challenger 600 lies in Canadair’s purchase of a concept for a
business jet aircraft, the LearStar 600 from the American
inventor and aircraft developer Bill Lear. However, Lear had
practically no influence on the ensuing development and design
of the aircraft. Even the name LearStar was not new to this
concept, since Lear had long before used the name for his
conversion of Lockheed Loadstars into business transports. Thus,
Canadair quickly abandoned the name LearStar and adopted the
name Challenger. Canadair's top management was of the opinion
that Lear’s concept was sketchy at best. Lear did not have an
expert grasp of aeronautical engineering. He was also at
financial low point, with a tiny staff. Thus, he had only been
able to pay a California aeronautical consu