FINAL STAGES
first Digital Flight Control System which gives more precise handling and reduces workload, thus improving safety.
The 7X would become the first business jet to use fighter jet technology with an elegant, whisper-quiet executive cabin. Today, over 200 Falcon 7X aircraft are in service in 32 countries. The fleet has performed some 2,50,000 flight hours and presents excellent dispatch reliability. Now a mature and proven aircraft platform, the Falcon 7X is still the most advanced — still the business jet benchmark for the 21st century.
And with fuel consumption 15-30 per cent lower than other jets in its class, it dramatically lowers operating costs. The Falcon 7X is designed to fly 11,019 km, linking city pairs such as ParisTokyo, Shanghai-Seattle, New York-Jeddah, and JohannesburgLondon, with eight passengers and three crew. Delivering 6,400 pounds of thrust each, three Pratt & Whitney Canada PW307A turbofans power the 7X to new levels of performance and efficiency.
Falcon 8X direct operating costs are as much as 35 per cent lower than those of competing jets. At 6,722 pounds, these enhanced Pratt & Whitney Canada turbofans deliver five per cent more thrust with lower fuel consumption. With 11,945 km range and outstanding short-field performance, the 8X links important city pairs non-stop and accesses 500 more airports in the US alone than its competitors. Steep approach angles and strong climb-out gradients are no problem for the Falcon 8X. Nor are hot and high conditions. And it delivers superior range from both. It is the only ultra-long range business jet that can use London city’s 3,934-foot runway. And after take-off, it can fly non-stop to Dubai or New York. The Falcon 8X is entering the final stages of its flight test and certification programme as work proceeds to prepare the ultra-long range trijet for initial delivery. The FAA and EASA certification of the 8X is expected by mid-year and entry into service by late summer. The cold soak trials were conducted at Ranken Inlet, Nunavut, on the Northwestern shore of Canada’s Hudson Bay recently. The Falcon 8X s/n 03 has now begun a global test campaign to demonstrate aircraft operational reliability and performance in different conditions of flight. The month-long campaign will take the aircraft through Europe, the Middle East, Asia and North and South America and include more than 60 missions of various lengths representing the extremes of what Falcon 8X customers might expect to face during their aircraft’s operational life.