Trijets First Entered Service In 1986

Dassault Falcon announced this week it will soon deliver the 400th Falcon 900 to CITIC, China's largest state owned financial services holding company and will be based in Beijing.

Originally conceived in the 1980s, the Falcon 900 was proposed at a time when the scope of business aviation was expanding to include more transatlantic destinations. Greater range was a prerequisite but also, larger cabins and greater margins of safety. The 900 was the first, and remains the only, airplane in its class with a three-engine design, offering superior airport performance and increased peace of mind, especially on long over water flights.

In addition to offering trijet performance, the Falcon 900 family also benefits from being the most fuel efficient airplane in its class by a wide margin, according to Dassault. The current two versions of the Falcon 900 family, the 900EX EASy and 900DX, will number more than 200 before the end of this year.

"The Falcon 900 family has thrived for so many years because of its versatility, comfort, performance and fuel efficiency," said John Rosanvallon, President and CEO of Dassault Falcon. "The interior has always been highly regarded as one the most spacious and comfortable in its class."

The prototype was launched in March 1981 and the program was officially announced at the Paris Air Show in 1983. The first flight followed in September 1984. Since that time, five variants have been introduced (900B, 900C, 900EX, 900EX EASy and 900DX) and nearly 1.8 million flight hours have been accumulated.

The original Falcon 900 was fitted with Garrett TFE-731-5 engines and had an operating range of 3,800 nm. Certified in March 1986, it featured a cockpit with EFIS instrumentation and an FMS (Flight Management System).

As subsequent models were introduced, avionics and power plants were upgraded. The current state of the art 4,500 nm Falcon 900EX and 4,100 nm Falcon 900DX benefit from Honeywell-60 engines offering even better efficiency and lower maintenance costs than earlier models. Both new models also feature Dassault's advanced flight deck called "EASy" which is loaded with intuitive concepts and functionalities originally developed for the company's fighter jets.

Dassault notes every Falcon 900 built is still in operation today.

FMI: www.dassaultfalcon.com