Story ID: 
Dassault Wraps Up Falcon 6X Cold-weather Testing
By: Jerry Siebenmark
Caption: Dassault Aviation remains on track for 6X certification later this year.
Word Count: 228
A team of pilots, engineers, and technicians from Dassault Aviation and Pratt & Whitney Canada have completed cold-weather testing of the Falcon 6X in Iqaluit, a tundra town in the far north of Canada. Temperatures there reached as low as -37 degrees C (-35 degrees F) during testing of the aircraft’s PW812D engines, systems, and low-temperature maintainability, said Dassault Aviation executive v-p of civil aircraft Carlos Brana. “The aircraft operated flawlessly at the extreme temperatures an aircraft can be subjected to in the severest climate conditions,” he added. 

The team conducted this most recent testing at the end of February, following an initial series of cold-weather tests in Iqaluit in December, when temperatures dipped as low as -25 degree C. February ground testing of the 6X included cold soaking of the aircraft for three nights, as well as subjecting it to various start sequences in the morning.

Engine ground runs and high-speed taxi tests were also part of the ground testing. A test flight followed checks of anti-icing and handling qualities and fuel stability and hydraulic fluid temperatures while the 6X operated in a 10,000-foot holding pattern.

All told, the 6X flight-test fleet has completed 50 hours of cold tests, as well as more than 220 flights and 650 flight hours. Certification of the large-cabin twinjet is expected later this year.