CIRCLE WITH A DOT

@johnefrancis Example recent trip: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/doug-ford-texas-trip-9.7145909

@z3r0fox - The island airport runway is currently 1,216m in length. The Challenger 650 requires 1,720m, and Canadian regulations require an additional 900m of safety extension at each end of a jet runway.

The island runway would have to grow from 1,216m to a minimum of 3,520m for a Challenger 650 to safely operate.

@z3r0fox I do not believe that his currently-proposed runway extension will be extensive enough to extend for this particular jet, I do not think he is that good at planning.

@crispius @renata @elonjet @ZuckJet - I have already filled out the Google Form for that Ground Control team

@renata I'm confident that @JxckS will take care of this in due course.

@renata - That importation flight to Pearson was then followed by a test flight to Sudbury, you can track the plane at https://globe.adsbexchange.com/?icao=c002d5&lat=41.803&lon=-77.736&zoom=6.4&showTrace=2026-04-15&trackLabels

@tezoatlipoca @renata I'm willing to bet that his jet is C-FBBW - legally owned by charter company ACASS Canada Ltd: https://wwwapps.tc.gc.ca/saf-sec-sur/2/ccarcs-riacc/ADet.aspx?id=527669

@renata Bombardier only made two Challenger 650s in Canada that are still legally registered to be flown by Canadian pilots: C-GZUM and C-FBBW.

C-GZUM doesn't match the news description, since it's been in operation by Skyservice in Montreal for 6 years and the news is reporting that Doug's jet was bought from a South American and recently imported.

C-FBBW was imported and registered in Canada by ACASS on 2026-04-10 and it first flew to Canada (Pearson) with that registration on 2026-04-15.

@renata I never believe his stated reasons for things, but you're right that his stated reason is allegedly to visit the US and fight tariffs, which is hopefully a temporary need and temporary needs do not justify this kind of capital expenditure.

Ontario airports with runways that can handle a Challenger 650: Pearson, Ottawa, Hamilton, North Bay, Windsor, Thunder Bay, and *maybe* Timmins with the right winds and weather.

Indigenous-owned Air Creebec already owns 20 Dash-8s and I'm sure would be delighted to offer a very affordable charter contract to the province in order to pimp one up for VIP travel and dedicate it to the province just like CargoJet pimped up one of their 767s for Drake.

But. . . . Doug Ford might still be stinging from his 2019 scandal where he wanted to spend $50k pimping up an OPP Sprinter van for his official road trips.

But, my brother's fly-in community's airport would have to double their runway length and also pave it.

RE: https://disabled.social/@MikeImBack/116420391595617233

I'd like to share a few fun facts about this $30M private jet. . . . it would require a 50% runway length extension to takeoff from Toronto City Center Island Airport. It can't operate on the gravel runways in Northern communities like a Dash-8 can, which costs $26M less.

My brother lives 1,000km North in a fly-in community. That's a 1:15 travel time in this jet, and 1:30 travel time in a Dash-8. A round-trip would burn about $10,000 in gas for this jet, and about $6,000 for the Dash-8.