If Life Begins at 40, the Falcon Line is in for a Great Time

This year marks the 40th anniversary of the first flight of a Falcon business jet - the Mystère 20 (right). Since then, the 1600-plus fleet has accumulated a record of over 10 million flight hours. It can now be said that a Falcon jet takes off on a mission every 45 seconds.

Success in a Tough Market

"Our current product line seems ideally positioned in the market, so we have been fortunate," said Jean-François Georges, CEO of Dassault Falcon. "In addition, our new aircraft, like the Falcon 2000EX, 900EX EASy and 7X, are being well received, helping us build a solid backlog. Demand continues for these models, despite questionable economic conditions."

Dassault's Falcon sales have firmly positioned the company in the civil aviation market. "The Falcon 900EX EASy and the 2000EX are just two examples of the evolution of Dassault," said John Rosanvallon, President of Dassault Falcon. "The Falcon 7X (below) is also evidence of our efforts on developing and marketing a new generation of corporate jets. In 2002, we delivered 66 aircraft and anticipate maintaining relatively similar rates for both 2003 and 2004."

More Milestones

"In the world of Falcon, we are pleased to report many landmark events which have also taken place," said Dassault Aviation Chairman and CEO Charles Edelstenne recently. "Our newest aircraft, the Falcon 7X, has gained worldwide acceptance, as demonstrated by the growing number of firm orders. In February 2002, the first EASy-equipped Falcon 900EX flew, followed this year by the 2000EX EASy."

In May 2002, Falcon celebrated another important event -- the 75th anniversary of Charles Lindbergh's solo flight across the Atlantic. Lindbergh is actually partly responsible for the 10 million flight hours Dassault has accumulated: it was he who suggested, in 1972, to then-Pan Am president Juan Trippe, that the airline select the Falcon 20 to market in the United States. (The connection is made even more interesting by the fact that Dassault's founder, Marcel Dassault, was present at Le Bourget the day Lindbergh landed from his New York-Paris journey.)

This May, Falcon has cause to celebrate again, when the forty-year anniversary of the first flight of the Mystère 20 occurs.

Falcons, then and now:

The Falcon family was launched by the Falcon Mystère 20, which, over the course of twenty years in production, reached 475 deliveries. A number of derivatives of the Falcon 20 were built, such as the D, E, and F models, as well as the HU-25, created specifically for the United States Coast Guard. The Falcon 10, also a twin-jet, first flew in 1970, and its deliveries, combined with the Falcon 100, reached 229. The Falcon 50-series followed, the first tri-jet built by Dassault, and since 1976 has reached over 320 deliveries. The long-range Falcon 900-series, also with three engines, recently surpassed 300 deliveries, and is considered the flagship of the Falcon family fleet. The highly popular Falcon 2000 series, consisting of the twin-jet 2000 and 2000EX, has surpassed 200 deliveries - the new 2000EX will have its first delivery in the second quarter of 2003. The Falcon 2000 was recently named the most popular large-cabin aircraft flying in fractional programs today. On the horizon: the brand-new Falcon 7X, which is a 5700 nm, tri-jet aircraft, expected to make its first flight in early 2005.

FMI: www.falconjet.com