A multi-engine, instrument rated pilot, James Wynbrandt has been an AIN and Business Jet Traveler contributor since 2003. His in-depth reporting and insightful features have won more than a dozen editorial honors, including two National Business Aviation Association Gold Wing Awards (2019; 2021), and his articles have also appeared in the New York Times, Barron’s, Fortune, Forbes, and Smithsonian Air &amp; Space. He has flown his Mooney M20K 252 on assignments throughout North and Central America and the Caribbean. Wynbrandt is also the author of Flying High (Wiley &amp; Sons), a biography of Jet Blue founder David Neeleman, as well as histories, references works, and books on a variety of other topics from major publishers. He lives in New York City.

Contributor - Business Aviation

James Wynbrandt

Celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Falcon brand, Dassault Aviation (Booth Z72, Stand AD_02) is showcasing at EBACE the Falcon 6X and 10X—its flagships in waiting—as well as the Falcon 2000LXS twinjet and 8X trijet.
Since the introduction of the Falcon 20, Dassault’s first business jet, the company has delivered more than 2,700 executive aircraft, with 2,100 units now in operation, having accumulated more than 20 million fleet hours. That history of success appears certain to continue.
The forthcoming Falcon 6X, with a 5,500-nm range, boasts the largest cabin cross-section in business aviation at 6.5-feet&nbsp;tall, and 8.5-feet&nbsp;wide. The 6X will reign as business aviation’s largest cabin until the larger, longer-range Falcon 10X enters service, scheduled for 2025.&nbsp;
The 6X on display in Geneva is the third flight-test program aircraft, equipped with a fully fitted cabin interior, and has been privately shown worldwide during a 100-hour-plus global proving campaign. Passengers praised The 6X’s comfort, high-speed connectivity, and low noise levels—the lowest ever on a Falcon, according to the French airframer. The sleek, modern, high-productivity cabin has received a Red Dot award for its design.
With its flight-test program recently completed, 6X certification is expected in the coming weeks, Dassault said, with entry into service to follow. A state-of-the-art CAE simulator is now in operation at CAE’s&nbsp;Burgess Hill, UK training center, with first customer type certification classes set to begin soon. Dassault has also established a dedicated team to manage and coordinate entry-into-service training and preparations activity.
The ultra-long-range Falcon 8X (6,450 nm range) was restyled in 2021, and the cabin now incorporates elements of the newer and larger Falcon 6X, as seen on the display aircraft, along with improved sound damping that reduces noise levels for what Dassault says is already the quietest business jet on the market to below 50 dB. The cockpit is equipped with EASy IV, the latest generation of Dassault’s EASy flight deck, and the flight controls are an advanced version of those pioneered on the Falcon 7X. Nearly 400 Falcon 7X and 8X aircraft have been delivered to date.
The Falcon 2000LXS twinjet on view in Geneva has a two-zone cabin, and the model offers new options that include high-speed connectivity, and Dassault’s unique FalconEye Combined Vision System, which permits low visibility approaches down to 100 feet agl. The 2000 series has been continuously updated through several variants, and almost 700 have been delivered to date.
A full cabin mockup of the Falcon 10X, including the flight deck, is the starring attraction at Dassault’s Palexpo booth. The 10X will have a range of 7,500 nm, a top speed of Mach 0.925, and an all-composite wing — a Falcon first.
The mockup, like the actual 10X cabin, is modular in design, able to display different layouts at each trade show, and the EBACE version features an extended dining area that accommodates the installation of individual sliding seats.&nbsp;Two additional 10X mockups on display showcase the new Falcon Privacy Suite, a cocoon-like personal space equipped with an electrically operated seat that reclines to a lie-flat bed, and the 10X’s master bathroom option, with its two-window shower, respectively.

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