Fri, Jul 08, 2005
Joins Flight Test Program
Falcon 7X s/n 02
(registration F-WTDA) flew for the first time Tuesday from
Dassault's facility in Bordeaux-Merignac, France with test pilots
Philippe Deleume and Jean-Louis Dumas at the controls. The flight
took off at 1407 local time in ideal conditions and lasted 2 hours
15 minutes.
"The second aircraft is responding and flying exactly as the
first," said Philippe Deleume, Falcon Chief Test Pilot. "This is
further proof of the extraordinary job our engineers have done in
designing this revolutionary aircraft."
During the flight, the landing gear was cycled and
acceleration/deceleration tests were performed. The fly-by-wire
system was tested in normal, alternate and direct modes. All flight
systems were checked in manual and auto modes. The airplane was
ferried to the flight test center in Istres, France today. It will
be primarily used for systems certification.
With the most recent flight, the Falcon 7X test program has
reached 27 flights and 65 flight hours. The flight envelope
continues to expand and MMO (.90 mach) and VMO (370 KIAS) have been
reached.
Falcon 7X s/n 03 will join the flight test program in September.
It will be used for long range and endurance tests as well as
interior sound level validation. The structure for Falcon 7X s/n 04
is fully assembled in Bordeaux with system and equipment
installation underway.
To date, five pilots have flown the 7X including one
representing the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
Approximately 1,200 flight test hours have been allotted before
final certification by the FAA and EASA in late 2006. A static and
fatigue test airframe has been undergoing tests at CEAT in Toulouse
since March.
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