Successful World proving campaign leads to the final stage of flight trials for Falcon 6X

Dassault Falcon 6X enters the final phase of its certification flight test campaign with EASA and FAA, setting the stage for the extra wide body twin to enter service in mid-2023. Dassault Aviation Chairman and CEO Eric Trappier, commented: "The 6X has distinguished itself as an extremely remarkable aircraft, sailing through its certification campaign and consistently wowing pilots and engineers with its flawless performance. It will soon be impressing customers, too."

Last summer, one of the three flight test aircraft underwent hot weather trials in the Tunisian desert. These tests, run at temperatures up to 48°C (118°F), were intended to confirm that the aircraft could function properly in high heat and with proper cooling while flying circuits over the desert at 10,000 feet. They complemented cold soak trials run last winter in northern Canada to demonstrate safe operation at ultra-cold temperatures down to -38°C (-36°F).

High elevation flight trials at a 9,070 feet (2,764 m) high strip in Telluride, Colorado have also been successfully completed.  

In August, the aircraft's 13,500-pound-thrust Pratt & Whitney 812D engine received EASA certification.  FAA approval is pending.  A full flight simulator has entered operation at CAE Burgess Hill in the UK and will be ready to begin training 6X customer crews in April. 

The toughest test of all—the real world

Late July, the first production 6X touched down after a round-the-world demonstration tour intended to show the full maturity and reliability of aircraft systems. The campaign included 50 flights over five continents and covered 50,000 nm. 

"The tour was a rigorous real world test to ensure Dassault can deliver a mature product with full operational readiness of all systems from day one," said Trappier. "Pilots gave all systems, including new features of the EASy IV flight deck, high marks and assessed performance as 'spot on'."

Connectivity during the demonstration flight was reported to be excellent, even in the most remote legs of the tour. In-flight, measurements and passenger reactions confirmed that the 6X will be the quietest Falcon yet. 

The 6X operated at a high tempo, logging up to five flights on some days. The longest leg of the tour was Paris to Los Angeles, flown in 11 hours in 25 minutes. The flight, which covered 5,150 nautical miles against strong headwinds, was completed with full reserve fuel. 

The 19th Falcon 6X is currently on the final assembly line and three customer aircraft are in completion at the Dassault interior facility in Little Rock, Arkansas.