Asian Sky Quarterly 2021Q1

AIRCRAFT SPOTLIGHT: FALCON 6X
FALCON 6X FLIGHT TEST PROGRAM GATHERS STEAM
ENTRY-INTO-SERVICE PREPARATION ALREADY UNDERWAY
In just under a month following the March 10 first flight of the all-new
Falcon 6X, over 50 hours of flights had been completed. The flight envelope
was opened to Mach .90 — the aircraft’s maximum operating
speed. Four pilots have flown the aircraft, and they have collectively concluded
that so far, it has the nicest landing characteristics of any Falcon.
Dassault Aviation has reason to celebrate, especially after the challenges
of 2020 due to COVID-19. In normal times, meshing a global supply
chain for a new aircraft program is challenging. Keeping it on track
through work shutdowns, slowdowns and shipping delays has been a
major accomplishment for the French aerospace company. Well before
the pandemic, Eric Trappier, Dassault Chairman and CEO, promised the
6X would fly in the first quarter of 2021. The company kept that promise
with a reportedly flawless first flight.
“At this stage of development, we have an aircraft that is demonstrating
system maturity and performing well. All of the testing and simulation
on the ground has really paid off in giving us a robust aircraft for the
flight test program.” Said Ferry.
Ferry reports that a second, fully instrumented, flight test aircraft will
enter the program in a few weeks and that a third aircraft, with a fully
functional interior, will enter the program by summer. Amongst the many
activities for that plane will be thermal mapping of the interior to ensure
proper insulation and excellent temperature control throughout the cabin,
as well as sound mapping to adjust noise reduction materials, if necessary.
The company expects the aircraft to be at least as quiet as the
Falcon 8X, which Dassault says is the quietest business jet flying, with
interior sound levels around 48 dB, equivalent to a living room.
Later in the program a fourth aircraft — the first production aircraft, will fly,
also with a full interior. It will travel around the world, carrying many passengers
who can evaluate all cabin systems, including entertainment systems
and Wi-Fi High-speed internet capability through a Ka-band satellite link.
The 6X flew exactly as predicted by our
models. From a pilot’s perspective, it flies
like a Falcon, which is to say that it flies
with perfect precise handling in all phases
of flight, said test pilot Bruno Ferry.
26 | ASIAN SKY QUARTERLY — FIRST QUARTER 2021