Originally Posted by
BoilerUP
That's the only point I'm trying to make - if a knowledgeable, well-trained flight crew is driving a -200 series stretch Challenger and understands the limitations of the airplanes and basic high-altitude aerodynamics then the airplane can get up there every day and twice on Sunday (although it will take all day Saturday to get there)
It's actually a rare day indeed that you can really get much above 350-360 in the CRJ-200. The only real way to do it is to step climb and at about FL300 accelerate to as fast as you can and then use that horizontal speed to inch your way up. I did get up to FL330 this summer to top some weather on the way from PHL-BGR and FL340 a couple times on the way to MKE, but otherwise it's just not happening. And that was as high as she would go and still stay on profile, which is a limitation and not a target in my world.
I'm at over 4000 hours in the CRJ-200 and know it's limitations. What it'll do on paper and what it'll do in reality are two vastly different things. Yeah, a 3-hour flight in ISA+0 and a relatively light airplane you might safely do it. Why anyone would want to is beyond me, but you might safely do it. I've been told the window between overspeed and underspeed is about 15-20 knots at FL410 in the CRJ-200.