Falcon 2000LX On Track for 1Q/09 Certification

France-based business jet manufacturer Dassault yesterday confirmed to AIN that the Falcon 2000LX, a winglet-equipped 2000EX, is slated for certification by March, following several delays. Certification flights, with FAA and EASA pilots, are to begin “in the coming days” in Tucson, Ariz., on a development aircraft. The latest issue was with leading-edge slats. After a test that was beyond normal operations but still within the flight envelope, these high-lift devices showed some deformation. A Dassault spokesman noted that although it has no effect on handling qualities, such deformation on a customer aircraft would cause costly repairs and would therefore be unacceptable. Dassault engineers worked out a different setting in the motion of the slats. Customers who were to receive their aircraft in the middle of last year have been offered 2000EXs with additional wing stiffeners, allowing the winglets to be easily installed once they are certified. The Falcon 2000LX will have a range of 4,000 nm, 200 nm more than that of the 2000EX.