Aircraft
Second Dassault Falcon 8X Joins Flight-test Fleet
After initial checks of the fly-by-wire controls and engines, pilots took the aircraft to 43,000 feet and Mach 0.80 for performance tests.
With test pilots Hervé Laverne and Etienne Faurdessus at the controls, Falcon 8X S/N 02 lifted off from Dassault Aviation’s Bordeaux-Mérignac facility on March 30 at 3:24 p.m. local time. (Photo: Dassault Falcon)
With test pilots Hervé Laverne and Etienne Faurdessus at the controls, Falcon 8X S/N 02 lifted off from Dassault Aviation’s Bordeaux-Mérignac facility on March 30 at 3:24 p.m. local time. (Photo: Dassault Falcon)

The second Dassault Falcon 8X joined the flight-test fleet early last week, with test pilots Hervé Laverne and Etienne Faurdessus at the controls. Falcon 8X S/N 02 lifted off last Monday from Dassault Aviation’s Bordeaux-Mérignac facility at 3:24 p.m. local time. The flight plan was similar to that of the maiden flight for S/N 01 on February 6.