A Closer Look At The Legendary Garth Brooks’ Bombardier Challenger 600

Garth Brooks has become one of the most prominent country stars over the last fifty years. The popular country artist was born near Tulsa, Oklahoma, on February 7, 1962. Brooks always had an interest in music growing up, but his main focus was athletics. He was a track and field star in high school, and after he graduated from school he attended Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma, to continue his athletic career. He graduated from college in 1984, and he began singing and playing guitar at local bars and restaurants near Stillwater.

In 1987, Brooks was convinced to travel to Nashville, Tennessee, the home of country music. After a few years of playing in Nashville, Brooks released his first album, Garth Brooks. This album was an instant success, reaching number two overall on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart. This brought Brooks to an overnight sensation, with some of his later songs reaching the top 10 on the Billboard Top Country Songs chart.

His other early albums, including No Fences, Ropin’ the Wind, and Beyond the Season, all reached the top 10 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart, which led to his first world tour in 1993. His later album, Fresh Horses, led to his second world tour in 1996. Brooks took a brief break from making music and touring from 2001 to 2005. His return to music led to an eventual comeback tour in 2017 and his most recent album, Time Traveler, in 2023.

Overall, the country star has become one of the world’s best-selling artists. He has sold nearly 200 million records and was listed as the best-selling solo album artist of all time in 2020. His success in the country music industry, along with other business ventures, has allowed Brooks to accumulate a net worth of over $400 million. Because of this, it is no wonder that Brooks and his team operate a

business jet

. This

private jet

allows Brooks to fly around the world for music shows or business events. Let’s take a closer look at the aircraft that Garth Brooks flies in.

The Garth Brooks private jet

Currently, Brooks flies a Bombardier Challenger 600 registered as N810GT. This aircraft was first built in 2004 and has a serial number of 5600. The official

Federal Aviation Administration

(FAA) registered owner is 8TEN LLC, which is registered in Brooks’s hometown of Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Overall, Brooks and his team have flown N810GT a total of 75 times so far in 2024. According to JetSpy, these flights have amounted to just over 160 total flight hours. During these flights, the aircraft used over 58,000 gallons of jet fuel, which contributed to over 550 metric tons of carbon emissions. The top three most visited airports for this aircraft in 2024 include:

1. Nashville International Airport (BNA)

   in Nashville, Tennessee

2. Harry Reid International Airport (LAS)

   in Las Vegas, Nevada

3. Tulsa International Airport (TUL) in Tulsa, Oklahoma

About the Bombardier Challenger 600

The Challenger 600 series is one of

Bombardier’s

most successful business jet lines. The aircraft was initially designed and produced by Canadair. In the late 1970s, the famous aircraft designer

Bill Lear conceptualized the aircraft

. By 1975, Canadair decided to financially back the design of the aircraft and make it an official project. This heavy business jet was designed as an aircraft that could also operate as a commuter airline or a freighter. Lear’s design input was eventually phased out in 1977, and the aircraft was renamed the Challenger 600.

Photo: Philip Pilosian | Shutterstock

The government-backed program featured several redesigns in the late 1970s, and Canadair had received over 100 orders for the aircraft by 1980. The first prototype conducted its maiden flight in November 1978. Transport Canada eventually awarded the aircraft its type certification in 1980, and the FAA also awarded its type certificate in November 1980. The aircraft was officially introduced later that year, although initial sales of the aircraft were relatively slow.

However, Bombardier purchased Canadair in 1986. The company saw potential in the aircraft, and it decided to continue its production. Bombardier has continued its production ever since and has even introduced several upgraded variants. This includes the Challenger 605 and the successful Challenger 650. Over 1,000 aircraft have been delivered from its initial introduction in 1980 to current production.

Design features and specifications of the Bombardier Challenger 600

One of the aircraft’s most notable design features is the supercritical-swept wing that was introduced. This allows the aircraft to reach high speeds while still maintaining short takeoff performance. The aircraft is also powered by two

General Electric

CCF34 turbofan engines, which provide over 9,200 pounds of thrust each. This helps the aircraft reach the following performance specifications:

The newest Challenger aircraft are powered by the Rockwell Collins Pro Line 21 advanced avionics suite. This includes a synthetic vision system (SVS) and increased takeoff thrust. However, earlier models utilized the Sperry SPZ-600 automatic flight control system.