The CRJ200 Is Not A Climber
Posted by Jeffrey on January 30th, 2009
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When the CRJ200 was first introduced into the regional airline arena it was a beauty.
It has high-bypass engines (GE CF34-3A1 and -3B1) which generate about 8,729 lbs of thrust per engine but is capable of 9,220 lbs of thrust in an emergency.
It is also quiet and very fuel-efficient compared to the gas hogging MD-80 and Boeing 737s. I’ve had Boeing 777 pilots riding in the jumpseat that are amazed at how low our fuel flow (pounds per hour) is.
However, as it quickly became known, the CRJ200 had a difficult time climbing, especially once it gets into the upper atmospheres, if you are heavy and if the atmosphere is above standard (ISA).
More than once I have had to ask for lower altitudes because the airplane couldn’t climb any faster than 500 feet per minute (fpm).
Since the airplane doesn’t have Full-Authority Digital Engine Controls (FADEC), you have to continuously advice the thrust levers as you climb or risk losing airspeed.
Keep an eye on the airspeed too. As you climb, and as you try to keep your climb rate around 500 fpm, there will come a time when you will want to consider leveling off. Of course you will burn more fuel, but it is not worth stalling the airplane or having the engines flame out.
Click here for the NTSB report on Pinnacle Airlines Flight 3701 that did just that.
As for cruise, once the airplane gets to altitude it has no problem maintaining Mach .74. It may take awhile to get there, but it usually does. If you really want to save fuel though, Mach .70 is your speed. If you need to make up some time though, consider Mach .77, but watch your fuel.
One more thing about the CRJ200. Unlike the CRJ700 that uses FADEC and maintains a higher N2 speed during approach and therefore responds more quickly if there is a need to go-around, the CRJ200 doesn’t have that. There is still a delay as the engines spool up, so just take that into consideration if it looks like you may need to give the approach another try.
One of the features that I really like about the CF34 engines though is that they start very fast. Much faster than the CRJ700 engines.
Be safe…
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