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FAA And EASA Lets The Falcon Take flight

The new Dassault Falcon 7x business jet received certification from both the FAA and the EASA, allowing the plane to be market ready by June. This certification has finally arrived, six years after the company’s announcement of the intention to build a superior long range business jet.

Company officials reported being very impressed by the cooperation shown by the cross Atlantic air safety organizations, and explained that the many innovations on the new plane had complicated the testing necessary for certification.

The 7X began its flight testing on May 5 2005 and has since undergone more than 1600 hours of in-air flight testing. The jet has also endured fatigue testing equivalent to 50 000 simulated flights and survived extreme cold, heat and altitudes, under the comprehensive certification program.

The plane’s impressive wingspan exceeds 82 feet, and added winglets on the wings have extended the maximum range from 5700 nautical miles to 5950 nm, with eight passengers. This range will allow the jet to fly non-stop to more than 95% of the commonly used city-pair flights. The increased range is also a result of additional fuel tanks and a redesigned secondary rudder and lower fin.

Dassault has 20 aircraft currently on the production line at its facility in Bordeaux-Merignac, France, and seven more are underway at The Company’s Little Rock Arkansas facility. The Little Rock facility has expanded by four hangers and 200 employees to accommodate the huge demand for the plane.
The plane, priced at 40 million, is sold out through 2011, as customers have already pre-ordered 160 of the advanced planes.

Dessault’s CEO John Rosanvallon enthused, "the response is truly historic and we see the Falcon 7X as the market leader for years to come."

The 7X is positioned between Gulfstream’s G500 and G550 long-range business jets as well as Bombardier’s Global 5000 and Global Express XRS.