What do you do with a flight test aircraft when it’s no longer required at Dassault’s Istres test center? Put it on a stanchion in front of the Dassault engineering center? Maybe gift it to the Air and Space Museum at Paris-Le Bourget?
Heck no. There’s no retirement for a hard-working Falcon. Not when we can put it to good use at the Dassault Training Academy in Mérignac. I’m pleased to tell you that we have an important new tool to help technicians gain hands-on maintenance training. Specifically, Istres has just handed over a 2000-series Falcon to the Academy. This particular aircraft has had an esteemed career in flight test, being used to certify the Falcon 2000S and then the latest in the series, the 2000LXS.
You may know that the Training Academy has a class once a month—it’s an intensive 10-day program that is literally hands-on with aircraft, plus avionics benches and individual systems, as well as virtual training with 3D goggles.
And it’s been getting great reviews. Here’s a little bit of a recent report from Nick, a mechanic with the Shell flight department: “The instructors are incredibly knowledgeable. Also friendly and were able to provide the instruction in very good English. We had a good mix of classroom time, including an interesting VR session on the fuel system, then lots of practical activities, including jacking, RAT [Ram Air Turbine] deployment, powering the aircraft, connecting hydraulics, engine runs and more. We also had a full and useful day in the avionics shop.”
The 2000LXS is the second aircraft to join the Training Academy, which added the famous 7X-001 in 2023. That aircraft pioneered digital flight controls for business aviation and had a 17-year flight test career proving all sorts of upgrades, including the Smart Throttle that will be standard on the Falcon 10X.
With more than 1,500 satisfied graduates, we’re convinced nothing beats hands-on practical training, which, of course, supplements excellent coursework from FlightSafety International and CAE.
Many readers are aware that our practical training solution, PART 147, approved by EASA, UK-CAA and Australia, fulfills type rating requirements from those Authorities. Nevertheless, mechanics certified by other countries (Canada, Indonesia, FAA…) are more than welcome to benefit from the practical training courses to enhance their skills.
In fact, operators can request practical training on their own aircraft in their own countries, as with the Namibian flight department profiled in an earlier Crew Chief Blog post. Allow me to mention how thrilled this maintenance team was to have a Dassault instructor come to work with them.
Yes, offering this training is a regulatory requirement in some jurisdictions, but even if that were not the case, we think the benefits would be enormous for operators. It builds confidence and allows individual flight departments or maintenance centers to operate more autonomously. It speeds up routine and unscheduled maintenance and improves overall reliability. It creates a worldwide network of well-trained Falcon technicians, contributing to safer operations.
Lastly, it’s an enjoyable two-week course (including a nice weekend in Bordeaux) with benefits that will last a career. If you have an interest in Dassault Training Academy programs, here’s the address to contact: DassaultTrainingAcademy@dassault-aviation.com
