Falcon 2000LX nears certification
Dassault early last month confirmed to AIN that the Falcon 2000LX, a winglet-equipped 2000EX, is slated for certification next month, foll

Dassault early last month confirmed to AIN that the Falcon 2000LX, a winglet-equipped 2000EX, is slated for certification next month, following several delays. Certification flights with FAA and EASA pilots were scheduled to begin on a development aircraft in Tucson, Ariz., last month.

The most recent issue concerned the leading-edge slats. After a test that was beyond normal operations but still within the flight envelope, these high-lift devices showed some deformation. A Dassault source noted that although it has no effect on handling qualities, such deformation on a customer aircraft would cause costly repairs and was therefore unacceptable. So Dassault engineers worked out a further change in the motion of the slats. “Slats extend differently with winglets,” he said.