Trijet Cleared For Steep Approaches

Dassault Falcon announced this week its Falcon 7X recently received approval for arrivals and departures at London City Airport (LCY) in London, England.

"Flying into London City was a goal from the early development of the Falcon 7X program," said John Rosanvallon, President and CEO of Dassault Falcon. "During these times, speed, access and efficiency are paramount to all of our customers and this approval will help ensure 7X operators can remain one step ahead of their competition."

Dassault boasts the 7X offers the most range and cabin size of any business jet permitted to fly into and out of London City and links the heart of one of the world's largest financial centers with nonstop access to the United States, Europe and the Middle East.

To operate to and from London City Airport, an aircraft must demonstrate exacting performance in order to approach, land and take-off on the airport's short runway (4,327 ft at landing and 3,934 ft at take off) located in the heart of London. It also has to meet strict environmental standards that manage aircraft noise. In the case of the Falcon 7X, the noise level was measured in the same category as a much smaller turboprop.

The operational process for London City approval began in April of 2008 when Dassault was granted steep approach certification for the Falcon 7X from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). The steep approach procedures require a glide slope of 5.5 degrees as opposed to the standard 3.0 degrees.

Approval flights at London City were performed on October 10, 2008. Dedicated Noise Abatement Departure Procedures (NADP) were developed and approved by the EASA's Joint Operational Evaluation Board soon after.

"Flying into London City requires precision and stability in the handling and speed of the aircraft," said Philippe Deleume, Chief Test Pilot for Dassault Aviation. "And the digital flight control system on the Falcon 7X helps to ensure those requirements are met while landing and departing from one of the world's most challenging airports."

FMI: www.dassaultfalcon.com, www.londoncityairport.com