On December 17, Dassault unveiled the Falcon 8X ultra-long-range business jet, keeping the program on time for a first flight in the first quarter, probably in February. The event took place in an assembly hall at the Bordeaux Mérignac factory, gathering customers, operators, industrial partners and representatives of certification authorities in an atmosphere that mixed “prestige, passion for aviation and the French touch,” as the organizers put it.

The Falcon 8X’s key features are its 6,450-nm range and its cabin, 3.6 feet longer than that of the Falcon 7X.

As recently as six days before the ceremonial dinner the aircraft shown was still in the paint hangar, and at 6 a.m. the following morning it was undergoing modifications as a result of testing conducted in the preceding months. Ground testing of flight controls, vibration and the fuel system concluded in November, and engine run-ups took place in early December. “The program is right on schedule,” said Olivier Villa, senior v-p for civil aircraft.

Final Validations Pending

Results of the December ground runs prompted Dassault to devise a series of minor modifications that will be implemented by January. Many of the systems will receive final validations from their respective manufacturers, which are tasked with performing testing such as vibration, electromagnetic interference and lightning, Frédéric Petit, vice president for Falcon programs, told AIN.

Even with these validations, Dassault’s flight-test team has to sign off on each system before the first flight, Petit said. For the fly-by-wire control system (digital flight control system, in Dassault parlance) a new software standard is to be installed on January 5. Petit expected all these projects to be completed in late January.

First flight could take place soon after, he said. At the controls will be Falcon 8X program chief test pilot Eric Gérard and test pilot Hervé Lavergne. Three development aircraft will participate in the program. The first one will remain in the manufacturer’s fleet. The other two will become demonstrators and will be sold to customers after 10 to 12 months, Petit explained.

The third Falcon 8X will be the first one fitted, in the development program, with a cabin interior. It will serve as a test bench for the 8X’s improved acoustic control, as Dassault predicts it will beat the 7X’s 52 dB. Design engineers have worked on more effective placement of soundproofing materials and also on the way cabin components are attached to the airframe.

Another feature of the 8X will be its EASy 3 flight deck. A Falcon 7X is currently flying with the new generation of the human-machine interface, which is based on a Honeywell avionics suite. The flight management system, for example, is new, Petit noted.

The Falcon 8X is sold out until the end of 2017, with the first delivery planned for the second half of 2016. AIN understands this equates to firm orders for about 50 Falcon 8Xs. “About 75 to 80 percent of 8X customers are upgrading from a 7X or a Falcon 900; this pattern is similar to what we saw when we launched the 7X,” Dassault Falcon Jet president and CEO John Rosanvallon said. Most of the remaining customers already own a long-range business jet. For a small percentage of buyers, the 8X will be their first aircraft.