The airframe has about 1337 TT on it. I am flying it, so that may change a bit.The engine is a Blue.
Item specifics
| Condition: | Used |
The engine is a Blue Head 582 that was installed using the factory kit this past year. The 503 that was on the aircraft was up for overhaul so the 582 was a nice upgrade. I am the third owner of this 582. It was originally on a parachute trike that did not get flown much. the second owner purchased the engine for one of his EAB aircraft. The engine was decarbonized, the carbs rebuilt, and the EIS was sent to GRT for service and upgrade when he installed it on his aircraft. After flying it for 27 hours, he sold the aircraft but the buyer was going to use an alternative engine and did not purchase the 582. I purchased it at this point and installed it on my Challenger and have flown it about 12 hours. It starts right up, runs strong, and the temps and rpms are all fine. The TT on the engine is estimated at less than 100 hours as the original owner of the parachute trike did not log any of his flight time.
The aircraft was originally an ’87 kit, built by a local Challenger Dealer. It was built as a Clipped Wing and flown for a time that way. He installed many options and upgrades. The plane was then sold. The guy that bought it was flying it out of a 600’ strip at his farm. He did a bunch of work on it in the late 90’s and converted it to a Long Wing using the late model wings new from the factory. They have the closer rib spacing.
The previous owner did have a rough landing and bent one of the landing gear which snapped the cable, as it was designed to do. The cable put a couple of small tears in the fuselage covering and bent the soft aluminum covering supports. Before I purchased the aircraft from him, I had two different dealers and an A&P look at it and sent photos to the factory to have them look at it. It turns out that the damage was only superficial and purely cosmetic. Unless you know what to look for, it would be hard to see. In the spare parts there is sufficient extra fabric to repair the cosmetic damage if you wanted. The gear is factory stock aluminum, and I actually have an extra gear leg in the spare parts that come with the aircraft. I also have an Arrow pop rivet gun that I will include. I purchased this particular model because it easily fit between most of the U brackets on the plane without bending them open. Standard rivet guns are just a little too wide to easily fit in the U brackets.
The N number is N2495Q.
As far as the last condition inspection goes, it was completed on 2-11-17 by a certified A&P Inspector, who I can put you in touch with if you want, no issues noted.
There are a substantial amount of spare parts as well as a used UK tail and rudder included with the sale. The aircraft flies absolutely fine with the standard vertical tail. The UK tail is about 20% larger and actually, in my opinion, would improve the handling characteristics with the more powerful 582 engine. As I stated, the UK tail was purchased recently from a Challenger that was being parted out. It is in good condition and includes the bracing rods as well as the dorsal to vertical stab gusset.
All 582 adaptation parts and Warp Drive Prop were purchased new from Sheer Technologies. A new exhaust was also purchased along with Stainless Steel clamps, as well as the newest 8 point engine mount, heavy lift kit, and differential aileron bell cranks. The louvers on the radiator are cockpit adjustable and allow you maintain optimum coolant temperature The Battery was purchased new last season. It is mounted forward of the nose gear to help with weight and balance for lightweight solo pilots. This won’t be an issue for you or I but might be for lighter pilots. There is also a storage box beneath the front seat pan. It can be used for ballast or storage. The plane has the standard 10 gallon fuel tank behind the back seat. The wings are covered with the factory wing sails and are in good condition. The aircraft is always hangared. The main tires are 13x5x6…not quite tundra tires but substantially larger than the original stock wheels. It has the standard drum brakes. It has the optional tail wheel as well. This helps with moving the plane around in the hangar. The engine pylon was built with removable side panels, so access to this area is very easy.
This is a nice flying Challenger. With the 582, the performance is outstanding.
Current date: 2017-07-10