The Dassault Falcon 7X is a large-cabin, long range business jet manufactured by Dassault
Aviation, the flagship offering of their business jet line. It was first presented to the public
at the 2005 Paris Air Show.
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. The first 7X, MSN05, entered
service on 15 June 2007; the hundredth was delivered in November 2010.
In 2001, the Falcon 7X, at approximately $35 million, was nearly $10 million cheaper than
its nearest competitors in the long range, large cabin market segment, the Gulfstream
G550 and Bombardier Global Express. Its 2007 cost was $41 million. As of 2008, the approximate
unit cost of the 7X is $50 million. It conducted high altitude airport tests at 14,500ft in
Daocheng in 2014. Design
It is the first fully fly-by-wire business jet. It is also equipped with the same avionics
suite, the Honeywell Primus Epic "Enhanced Avionics System", 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", 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. 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. "This condition,
if occurring again, could lead to loss of control of the aeroplane," the EASA notice
said. 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. Dassault Aviation developed modifications in June 2011 to allow a return
to flight. Operators
Civil operators
Saudi Arabia Saudi Arabian Airlines has a fleet containing
the four most recent Dassault Falcon 7X models.
Finland Jetflite Oy introduced Dassault Falcon 7X
to its fleet in June 2014. Government and military operators
Ecuador A Falcon 7X was purchased by the Ecuadorian
Air Force 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.
Being used primarily by then-president Nicolas Sarkozy, the first shipped airplane was nicknamed
"Carla One" by the French newspapers, in reference to Carla Bruni, then French First Lady.
Monaco Albert II, Prince of Monaco - 1. Since 2013.
Namibia Namibian government - 1.
Nigeria Nigerian Air Force - 1.
Belgium Abelag Aviation
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
Length: 23.19 m Wingspan: 26.21 m
Height: 7.863 m Wing area: 70.7 m²
Empty weight: 15,456 kg Max. takeoff weight: 31,750 kg
Powerplant: 3 × Pratt & Whitney Canada PW307A turbofans, 28.46 kN each
Performance Maximum speed: 953 km/h
Cruise speed: 900 km/h Range: 11,000 km 8 passengers
Service ceiling: 15 500 m Wing loading: 435 kg/m²
Avionics Falcon EASy and EASy 2
See also Related development
Dassault Falcon 900 Dassault Falcon 5X
Dassault Falcon 8X Similar aircraft
Bombardier Global Express Embraer Lineage 1000
Gulfstream G450 Gulfstream G550
References
External links Official website