Photograph:
Dassault Falcon 7X HB-JFN (c/n 116) visiting Scone, NSW in February 2014 (Steve Veigel)
Country of origin:
France
Description:
Business and executive aircraft
Power Plant:
Three 6,400 lbst Pratt & Whitney Canada PW307A turbofans
Specifications:
- Wingspan: 26.21 m (86 ft)
- Length: 23.19 m (76 ft 1 in)
- Height: 7.863 m (25 ft 8 in)
- Wing area: 70.7 m² (761 sq ft)
- Max speed: 953 km/h (593 mph)
- Cruising speed: 900 km/h (559 mph)
- Approach speed: 195 km/h (121 mph)
- Service ceiling: 15,500 m (51,000 ft)
- Take-off run: 1,740 m (5,710 ft)
- Landing roll: 630 m (2,070 m)
- Range with three crew and 8 passengers: 11,000 km (6,835 miles)
- Basic operating weight: 15,545 kg (34,272 lb)
- Max payload: 2,720 kg (6,000 lb)
- Loaded weight: 31,300 kg (70,000 lb)
History:
The Dassault Falcon 7X was introduced to the market in 2005 at the Paris Air Show as a large cabin, long-range business jet by Dassault and since its first flight on 5 May 2005 has been popular, with more than 200 examples delivered. It has been described as the first business jet with a digital flight control system. Type certification was received from the European Aviation Safety Agency on 27 April 2007, and the first example (c/n 05) entered service with its owner in June 2007. By November 2010 more than 100 had been completed.
The Falcon 7X was a fly-by-wire business jet with a Honeywell Primus Epic Enhanced Avionics System similar to that used in the Falcon 900EX and the Falcon 2000EX. It used computer-aided design using CATIA and PLM products. In May 2011 the fleet was grounded due to “an uncontrolled pitch trim runaway during descent” in an aircraft. It was found there was a production defect in the horizontal stabiliser electronic control unit and a modification was developed. The aircraft continued in production and examples have been supplied to the governments of Ecuador, France, Monaco, Namibia and Nigeria. Most examples have been supplied to companies around the world, a number have visited Australia in recent years, and the type has entered service in more than 35 countries.
First of the type registered in this region became VH-CRW (c/n 217) to Brenzil Pty Ltd of Toowong, QLD, followed by M-GMKM (c/n 183) operated by MKAir7X of Newcastle, NSW. Further examples have visited, and in April 2018 a Falcon 7X registered N818TL (c/n 15) was obtained by Network Jets of Auckland, NZ.
In 2018 the Australian Government was looking for a replacement for the three Bombardier Challenger 604s then in service with the RAAF VIP Flight, the aircraft serving with No 34 Squadron. The Falcon 7X was chosen as the replacement, the first aircraft A56-001 (c/n 283 – ex F-WWHF) being noted at the Dassault facility at Bordeaux in France in early 2019 where it was being prepared to fly to the Dassault Business Jet outfitting facility at Little Rock in Arkansas, three aircraft being fitted out there before delivery to RAAF Fairbairn, ACT all being delivered by the end of 2019. The other two aircraft became A56-002 (c/n 284 – ex F-WWHE) and A56-003 (c/n 286 – ex F-WWHG). All three have been based with the RAAF VIP Flight.