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Falcon 7X sports new interior
By: Thomas Stocker
Caption: Dassault Aviation unveiled a new interior for its Falcon 7X jet here at EBACE yesterday.
Word Count: 559
Dassault Aviation unveiled a new interior for its Falcon 7X jet here at EBACE yesterday. The cabin was developed with BMW DesignworksUSA, a specialist design house which is part of the BMW car group.Falcon 7X serial no. 44, which was used for assessing the new configuration, is here at the EBACE static display. The new interior, with a very clean design, innovative lighting and ergonomic functions will be available as an option starting in the first quarter of 2011. To date, there are 34 7Xs in service and a total of 231 have been sold.Since the 7X has the longest range of all the Falcons, the BMW team gave special attention to enhancing cabin comfort for flights lasting up to 13 hours. The cabin has 28 windows and each of these is 10 percent larger than on previous Falcons. It also features a low in-flight cabin altitude of 6,000 feet even when the 7X is at its maximum cruise altitude of 51,000 feet.Further enhancing the comfort of passengers is an advanced temperature control system that maintains the environment to within one degree throughout the whole cabin. According to Dassault, 7X passengers have praised the cabin for being as quiet as a library thanks to breakthroughs in sound-insulating design and materials and the use of cushioned engine mounts.The new design features subtle curves throughout the interior. A single arc carpet element visually stretches the cabin and visually links the front and back ends of the cabin. Curved bulkheads give the main cabin area a roomier feel and curved surfaces there and in the galley make it easier for passengers and crew to pass through. The lighting arrangement features up-wash and down-wash ambient lights as well as light strips. The new interior will be available as an option starting in the first quarter of 2011. To date, there are 34 7Xs in service and a total of 231 have been sold.Dassault’s other main current development programs include new winglets for the 900 series, an improved EASy flight deck featuring synthetic vision, an expanded worldwide support network and the new wingletted Falcon 2000LX with longer range now arriving on the market with the first delivery this month. The new Falcon 900LX, introduced at EBACE 2008, is expected to gain certification in 2010, with deliveries following soon after. The new wing reduces drag by about 7 percent, while also substantially improving climb performance. The 900 series order book is approaching the milestone of 500 sales. According to Dassault, every 900 ever built is still flying. All Falcons will be available in the future with the new EASy avionics suite now under development with new features, the most important being synthetic vision, which will allow “everyday clear-weather flying.”On the support side, Dassault opened a new service facility at Reno Tahoe International Airport in the U.S. last month and is planning additional service centers in Moscow and Istanbul. Another service center will open shortly in São Paulo, Brazil. In addition to five factory-owned service centers, Falcon operators are supported by 26 authorized service centers, 13 spare parts distribution centers and three technical centers providing worldwide 24-hour support. According to Dassault, worldwide inventories of idle Falcons peaked last month at the high level of more than 160 aircraft, up from 40 in late 2007, but have now started declining. The French manufacturer has lost a net total of 27 orders from its backlog, but is optimistic and pushes expansion on all fronts.