Dassault Falcon 7X
| Falcon 7X | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| A Falcon 7X on final into Vnukovo International Airport in 2013 | |
| Role | Business jet |
| National origin | France |
| Manufacturer | Dassault Aviation |
| First flight | 5 May 2005 |
| Status | In production |
| Produced | 2005-present |
| Number built | 200+ |
| Unit cost |
ca. US$ 52.3 million (2008)
|
| Variants | Dassault Falcon 8X |
The Dassault Falcon 7X is a large-cabin, long range trijet manufactured by Dassault Aviation, the flagship offering of its business jet line. It was first presented to the public at the 2005 Paris Air Show.
Contents
Development
The aircraft has over 200 orders to date. It has received its type certification from both the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) on 27 April 2007.[1] The first 7X, MSN05, entered service on 15 June 2007;[2] the hundredth was delivered in November 2010.[3]
In 2001, the Falcon 7X, at approximately $35 million (pre-production order price), was nearly $10 million cheaper than its nearest competitors in the long range, large cabin market segment, the Gulfstream G550 and Bombardier Global Express.[4] Its 2007 cost was $41 million.[5] As of 2008[update], the approximate unit cost of the 7X is $50 million[6] (which was no longer less expensive than the Global Express, at $40M).[7] It conducted high altitude airport tests at 14,500 ft in Daocheng in 2014.[8]
Design
The Falcon 7X is a three-engined cantilever monoplane with a low-positioned, high swept wing, it has a horizontal stabiliser at mid-height and a retractable tricycle landing gear.[9] It has three rear-mounted Pratt & Whitney PW307A turbofan engines, two on the side of the fuselage and one in a center position..[9] The long-range trijet has room for 20 passengers and two crew..[9]
It is the first fully fly-by-wire business jet.[10] It is also equipped with the same avionics suite, the Honeywell Primus Epic "Enhanced Avionics System" (EASy), that was used on the Falcon 900EX and later on the Falcon 2000EX.
The Falcon 7X is notable for its extensive use of computer-aided design, the manufacturer claiming it to be the "first aircraft to be designed entirely on a virtual platform",[11] using Dassault Systemes' CATIA and PLM products.
It is also unusual in having an S-duct central engine, and is one of only two trijets currently in production, the other being the Dassault Falcon 900. It was also the first production Falcon jet to offer winglets.
In February 2010, Dassault Falcon and BMW Group DesignworksUSA were awarded the 2009 "Good Design” award by The Chicago Athenaeum and The European Centre for Architecture Art Design for their successful collaboration on the new Falcon 7X interior option.[12][13]
Speed record
On May 2, 2014, Dassault Falcon pilots Philippe Deleume and Olivier Froment set a new speed record for the Falcon 7X on a 5 hr 54 min flight from Teterboro Airport (near New York City) to London City Airport with three passengers on board.[14]
Grounding
EASA grounded the Falcon 7X fleet after a report from Dassault Aviation regarding “an uncontrolled pitch trim runaway during descent” in one of its jets in May 2011. HB-JFN pitched up to 40 degrees, with load factor increasing to 4.5G. Aircraft climbed almost 10000 feet during the upset.[15][16][17] "This condition, if occurring again, could lead to loss of control of the aeroplane," the EASA notice said.[18] Initial results of investigation showed that there was a production defect in the Horizontal Stabilizer Electronic Control Unit which could have contributed to the cause of the event.[19] Dassault Aviation developed modifications in June 2011 to allow a return to flight.[20][21]
Operators
Civil operators
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- Saudi Arabian Airlines (Saudia private aviation - SPA) has a fleet containing the four most recent Dassault Falcon 7X models.
- Jetflite Oy introduced Dassault Falcon 7X (OH-WIX) to its fleet in June 2014.
- FlyingGroup currently operates 6 Dassault Falcon 7X of which 3 are available for charter.
Government and military operators
Ecuador- A Falcon 7X was purchased by the Ecuadorian Air Force (FAE) to aid in long distance travel to the presidential aircraft, an Embraer Legacy 600. Its identification number is FAE 052. The aircraft was delivered November 4, 2013 and had its first official trip November 25, 2013.
France- Two Falcon 7X were bought by the French government to serve in the ETEC unit responsible for the air transport of the government members.[22] Being used primarily by then-president Nicolas Sarkozy, the first shipped airplane was nicknamed "Carla One" by the French newspapers,[23][24] in reference to Carla Bruni, then French First Lady.
Monaco- Albert II, Prince of Monaco - 1. Since 2013.[25]
Namibia- Namibian government - 1.[26]
Nigeria- Nigerian Air Force - 1.[27]
Specifications
Data from Flight 2007 Pocket Guide to Business Aircraft ISBN 0-9554195-0-6
General characteristics
- Crew: Up to three
- Capacity: Up to 19 passengers (not including crew)
- Length: 23.38 m[9] (76 ft 8 in)
- Wingspan: 26.21 m (86 ft)
- Height: 7.93 m.[9] (26 ft 0 in)
- Wing area: 70.7 m² (761 ft²)
- Empty weight: 15,456 kg (34,072 lb)
- Max. takeoff weight: 31,750 kg (70,000 lb)
- Powerplant: 3 × Pratt & Whitney Canada PW307A turbofans, 28.49 kN[9] (6,400 lbf) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: Mach 0.90 (515 kn, 593 mph, 953 km/h)
- Cruise speed: 900 km/h (486 knots, 559 mph)
- Range: 5,940 nm (6,835 mi, 11,000 km) 8 passengers
- Service ceiling: 15 500 m (51,000 ft)
- Wing loading: 435 kg/m² (91 lb/ft²)
Avionics
- Falcon EASy and EASy 2
See also
- Related development
Similar aircraft
References
- ↑ Deagel.com news. "Falcon 7X Gets Full EASA and FAA Type Certification", April 27, 2007. Accessed 6 February 2009.
- ↑ "Falcon 7X enters service". Flight Daily News. June 18, 2007.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ "Falcon 7X Trades Unwanted Range For a Price Tag Lower by $10 Million". Business & Commercial Aviation. 2001.
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
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- ↑ Bombardier Global 5000 - Sitting pretty, Flight International Magazine, 7–13 October 2008, p.49
- ↑ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 EASA A.155 Type Certificate Data Sheet for the Falcon 7X, Issue 05 dated 15 April 2015
- ↑ "http://www.aerospace-technology.com/projects/dassault-7x/"
- ↑ "Falcon 7X Jet Becomes First Aircraft Entirely Developed on Virtual Platform", edmpdm.de, 24 May 2004.
- ↑ http://www.bmwblog.com/2009/05/15/bmw-designworks-creates-the-interior-cabin-of-the-new-falcon-7x-business-jet/
- ↑ http://www.dassaultfalcon.com/en/MediaCenter/Newsd/Pages/PR%202010/Dassault's-Falcon-7X-BMW-Interior-Option-Wins-Design-Award.aspx
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