Bizjet Earns FAA And EASA Approval
It's been a busy week for business jets. On Friday, Aero-News
learned the latest trijet from Dassault Aviation, the Falcon 7X,
earned concurrent FAA and EASA certification. The Falcon 7X is
expected to enter service before the end of June, just over two years after the first 7X
took flight.
Dassault was awarded type-certification at a ceremony Friday in
Bordeaux-Mérignac, France. Patrick Goudou, Executive
Director of the EASA, and John Hickey, Director Aircraft
Certification Service for the FAA, were on hand to sign the type
certificate.
"Certification is a new chapter in the life of every airplane,"
said Charles Edelstenne, Chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation.
"But when the aircraft has broken new ground and surpassed so many
technical barriers it is truly an event to be remembered. When we
look back on this event in the future, it will be remembered as a
day that brought the design, manufacturing and efficiency of
business aircraft to a new level."
"The cooperation from both the EASA
and FAA during the certification process was extraordinary," said
Alain Picard, Director of Certification for Dassault Aviation. "The
Falcon 7X introduces numerous new technologies never before used in
business aviation so the challenge of substantiation was a bit more
challenging."
Dassault notes the Falcon 7X is the first airplane ever designed
and built in an entirely virtual environment using Product
Lifecycle Management (PLM) philosophy. PLM sets a higher standard
for the design and manufacturing process that brings collaborative
teams closer together. Largely due to the utilization of the PLM
processes, the time required to manufacture and complete the first
flight-test ready 7X was much lower by as much as 50% compared to
previous Falcons.
The 7X is also the first business jet to be flown with
Fly-by-Wire (FBW) technology. With over 30 years of FBW experience
on military programs, including the Mirage and Rafale fighters,
Dassault created an advanced Digital Flight Control System for the
Falcon 7X. The benefits include exceptional response and controls,
safety and passenger comfort through the exceptional stability of
the airplane.
"Dassault has delivered to the market not only a ground breaking
airplane but one that offers superior fuel efficiency, cabin
environment and maintenance," said John Rosanvallon, President and
CEO of Dassault Falcon. "The response is truly historic and we see
the Falcon 7X as the market leader for years to come." The Falcon
7X is the most fuel efficient airplane in its class and with fuel
prices climbing again, very desirable to the market.
Over 160 aircraft have been sold to date, representing over four
years of production. Dassault claims that makes the Falcon 7X the
most popular launch of a business jet ever in terms of sales dollar
value.
Enroute to certification, the Falcon 7X test program accumulated
over 1600 flight test hours with over 600 flights performed. Over
one-third of the flight hours were dedicated to certification
flights.
As ANN reported in Real-Time
Thursday, VLJ manufacturer Eclipse Aviation also made
news this week... with the awarding of its production
certificate for the Eclipse 500 by the FAA.
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