The Canadair CL-600 Challenger began flight tests in November 1978. It has a wide-body fuselage and a supercritical wing planform. The image on the cover of our magazine is a preproduction seen during a flight test.

At the time of publication the aircraft had completed 13 flights since its first flight on Nov. 8. 

If you're a subscriber you can see the cover image and read the full article on page 52 of the Dec. 4, 1978 issue of Aviation Week & Space Technology.

In the article we reported that the aircraft had experienced an engine failure that was traced to a gear in the engine's gear box drive train. Read on to discover how it was fixed and learn more about the aircraft's handling and performance. 

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