You may have read recently that Dassault is on track to fly the Falcon 6X in early 2021 with entry into service in 2022. We’re all very excited about this—a clean sheet Falcon with new technology that will make it a joy to fly and easier to maintain.
The 6X has onboard a breakthrough, self-diagnostic system called FalconScan that monitors 100,000 parameters and will reduce troubleshooting time and repairs.
Nevertheless, Customer Service must be ready from Day 1 for both routine service and the unexpected. We are acutely aware that the clock is ticking to have shelves stocked with spare parts, technicians trained, and maintenance manuals written—everything necessary in order to support a midnight call from a 6X pilot in Almaty or Zagreb (or Atlanta and Zhoukou). Flight Operations is preparing to support pilots, as well. We have a team reviewing flight manuals, training programs and simulator development. Our pilots will be deeply familiar with the aircraft in order to support customer pilots.
We are confident that we will be ready. For one thing, Customer Service staff have been involved in the aircraft’s design from the beginning. We have advised engineering on airframe structures and systems so that reliability and maintainability have been taken into account from the outset.
Right now, we have maintenance experts examining systems on various “iron bird” test rigs in Bordeaux-Merignac, advising engineers, for example, on real-life operational considerations for cabin electronics, plumbing and environmental systems. We’re also performing maintenance on the 6X in our virtual reality center, checking clearances and perfecting procedures with this powerful computer-driven tool. With it, we review and improve all maintenance activities before working on actual hardware. We’ll provide feedback right through flight testing, while deepening our operational understanding of the aircraft.
Simultaneously, we are working to stock our parts distribution centers—starting with Teterboro and Paris. We’ve already ordered a number of long lead time items, including large airframe structures and landing gear. We plan on having all needed spares on hand three months prior to entry into service.
Are there unique service challenges in introducing an all-new airplane? Of course. But when the 6X begins flying customers, we’ll have been there through every step of the development process. As a result, we’ll be ready to work with operators to make sure they are delighted to be among the first to fly this state-of-the-art business jet.
Jean Kayanakis
Senior Vice President, Worldwide Falcon Customer Service & Service Center Network Dassault Aviation
