Dassault Aviation has begun completion work on the first customer-bound Falcon 8X long-range trijet as the company progresses toward certification and deliveries next year. The aircraft, S/N 04, arrived in the Dassault Falcon Jet completion facility in Little Rock, Ark., on October 9, the company announced Thursday.
S/N 04 was the second of Dassault’s new 8X family to be sent to Little Rock for completion. The first—S/N 02—arrived last summer for installation of an interior that will be used for the 8X cabin comfort and functionality test program. This airplane will also be used for an around-the-world operational test campaign to demonstrate reliability and performance in various flight conditions, such as temperature extremes, high-altitude operations and high humidity. Dassault has nine other aircraft in various stages of assembly in Mérignac.
While Dassault ramps up production, the flight-test program continues to check off milestones. As of October 10, the Falcon 8X flight-test program had accumulated 315 flight hours and 153 flights from Dassault’s flight test center in Istres, near Marseille, France. Flight-test aircraft have opened the flight envelope, with S/N 01 recently reaching a speed of Mach 0.97. Initial certification tests covering takeoff and landing performance and EASy flight deck validation are also progressing.
“These achievements reflect the steady advance of the Falcon 8X flight-test program since the aircraft first took to the air last February,” said Eric Trappier, chairman and CEO Dassault Aviation. “Tests have fully confirmed target capabilities, in particular long-range performance.” Dassault, which unveiled the aircraft during the May 2014 EBACE and flew the first 8X in February, hopes to secure both EASA and FAA certification in mid-2016 with deliveries following later that year.