FALCON 6X FLIGHT TEST PROGRAM PASSES
600-HOUR MARK EN ROUTE TO 2022 CERTIFICATION | |
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It’s been a rapid-paced flight test program for the Falcon 6X, with its remarkable crew completing more than 180 flights and 600 hours on three 6X aircraft. One aircraft crossed the Atlantic in December for cold weather testing and another in January for interior installation in Little Rock, Arkansas. Aircraft Number 3 operated from Paris-Le Bourget Airport, where Dassault Falcon Service technicians performed routine line service, and flew on a Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF) mix from TotalEnergies. “We could not be more pleased with our progress to date,” said Chief Test Pilot, Philippe Duchateau. | |
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PW812D ENGINE RECEIVES TRANSPORT CANADA’S STAMP OF APPROVAL ___________ Following more than 4,900 hours of testing, Pratt & Whitney Canada’s PW812D engine for the 6X has been certified by Canadian authorities, with EASA and FAA certification to follow soon. Transport Canada approval checks off one of the biggest boxes in the test campaign. All told, the ultra-efficient PW800 family has accumulated more than 130,000 hours of flight testing and field experience, and the PW812D has been operating regularly on SAF, with a demonstrated SAF compatibility up to 50% blend level with standard kerosene. The 13,000 to 14,000-pound-thrust engine is the most efficient in its class and requires 40% less scheduled maintenance.
> Discover the power of efficiency | |
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| PW812D ENGINE RECEIVES TRANSPORT CANADA’S STAMP OF APPROVAL ___________ Following more than 4,900 hours of testing, Pratt & Whitney Canada’s PW812D engine for the 6X has been certified by Canadian authorities, with EASA and FAA certification to follow soon. Transport Canada approval checks off one of the biggest boxes in the test campaign. All told, the ultra-efficient PW800 family has accumulated more than 130,000 hours of flight testing and field experience, and the PW812D has been operating regularly on SAF, with a demonstrated SAF compatibility up to 50% blend level with standard kerosene. The 13,000 to 14,000-pound-thrust engine is the most efficient in its class and requires 40% less scheduled maintenance.
> Discover the power of efficiency |
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If you think you’re cold this winter, go to Iqaluit, Canada on Frobisher Bay on Baffin Island. There, during two nights of cold soak trials, the Falcon 6X endured temperatures between -4°F (-20°C) and -13°F (-25°C). Warm up procedures followed, including initialization, engine and environmental system evaluations. Then, a local flight of an hour and 25 minutes to simulate a full mission in cold conditions. More demanding tests will follow soon at around -40°F (-40°C). The trip from St. Johns, Newfoundland, back to Istres, France was full, with a 10 PAX crew and test equipment. But the 6X passed its comfort test with flying colors. | |
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CREW NUDGES THE SOUND BARRIER IN TEST BEYOND MMO | |
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This January, Chief Test Pilot, Philippe Duchateau, and Senior Test Pilot, Bruno Ferry, pushed the Falcon 6X’s throttles up and the nose over to Mach .95, in a first behavior test beyond the maximum operating speed (Mmo) of Mach .90. In coming weeks, the 6X will fly even closer to the sound barrier, requiring the utmost precision from both pilots. Not your typical day at the office. They’ll also test flight controls, rolling left and right to 30 degrees, and deploying full-up air brakes. Envelope dive tests and others are also ongoing. Aircraft 1 and Aircraft 2 have been successfully evaluated for takeoff and landing performance under multiple power, flap and CG conditions. Next they’ll fly in high wind conditions, including tailwinds and crosswinds. | |
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MEASURING THE SOUNDS OF SILENCE ___________ Aircraft 3, which has a full interior, has been used for a thorough acoustic mapping exercise. Interior noise levels have been quite similar to the Falcon 8X, which leads the industry in cabin noise levels. The 6X has been flown at low altitude over strategically placed microphones in the Camargue, a marshy area in the south of France that is unpopulated and free of other interfering noises. There, it demonstrated low external noise characteristics meeting the latest stringent noise standards for all new aircraft. > Queue up a quiet revolution | |
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| MEASURING THE SOUNDS OF SILENCE ___________ Aircraft 3, which has a full interior, has been used for a thorough acoustic mapping exercise. Interior noise levels have been quite similar to the Falcon 8X, which leads the industry in cabin noise levels. The 6X has been flown at low altitude over strategically placed microphones in the Camargue, a marshy area in the south of France that is unpopulated and free of other interfering noises. There, it demonstrated low external noise characteristics meeting the latest stringent noise standards for all new aircraft. > Queue up a quiet revolution |
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FIRST LOOK, 6X AWARD WINNING INTERIOR ___________ The 6X turned heads over the last two years winning a prestigious Red Dot design award and an International Yacht and Aviation award based on mockup interiors. Now, fully functional interiors are installed on Aircraft 3 and Aircraft 4. The latter will embark this year on a world tour to further evaluate the aircraft under real-world conditions. These first two interiors were installed in Mérignac, with the Little Rock completion center now working its interior magic on Aircraft 5 (and later on subsequent aircraft). > See what impressed the judges | |
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| FIRST LOOK, 6X AWARD WINNING INTERIOR ___________ The 6X turned heads over the last two years winning a prestigious Red Dot design award and an International Yacht and Aviation award based on mockup interiors. Now, fully functional interiors are installed on Aircraft 3 and Aircraft 4. The latter will embark this year on a world tour to further evaluate the aircraft under real-world conditions. These first two interiors were installed in Mérignac, with the Little Rock completion center now working its interior magic on Aircraft 5 (and later on subsequent aircraft). > See what impressed the judges |
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CUSTOMER SERVICE GEARS UP FOR 6X ENTRY INTO SERVICE ___________ Customer Service engineers and technicians have been analyzing maintenance data from the aircraft’s new FalconScan diagnostic system, which records thousands of parameters on each flight. About 6,000 line item parts have been ordered to bolster spares inventories for the 6X’s arrival—more than $100 million in spares, some already in place. Customer Service will monitor owner operations closely. “We’re going to collect a lot of feedback. It’s going to be a focus of our organization, right up to the chairman,” says Jean Kayanakis, SVP Worldwide Customer Service & Service Center Network. > This mission is on the ground | |
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| CUSTOMER SERVICE GEARS UP FOR 6X ENTRY INTO SERVICE ___________ Customer Service engineers and technicians have been analyzing maintenance data from the aircraft’s new FalconScan diagnostic system, which records thousands of parameters on each flight. About 6,000 line item parts have been ordered to bolster spares inventories for the 6X’s arrival—more than $100 million in spares, some already in place. Customer Service will monitor owner operations closely. “We’re going to collect a lot of feedback. It’s going to be a focus of our organization, right up to the chairman,” says Jean Kayanakis, SVP Worldwide Customer Service & Service Center Network. > This mission is on the ground |
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AMERICA GREETS FIRST PRODUCTION 6X
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Dassault Aviation’s Little Rock completion center has welcomed many a new Falcon design, starting from the days of the Falcon 900 in the 1980s. Recently, it saluted the first production Falcon 6X, the fifth to be built, which made a flawless crossing of the Atlantic January 28th from its production facility in Mérignac, France. It took off at 9:10 am local time, landing in Little Rock at 1:30 pm local, taking a long, safe route through Greenland and northern Canadian airspace. The traditional fly-by was met with cheering employees who have long been preparing for this day, and with a dramatic water salute on the ground. > Follow the 6X fly-by and touchdown | |
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