Dassault’s Falcon 8X to Highlight CIBAS 2017

First 8X in China to be Delivered Shortly

This year, the Beijing International Business Aviation Show (CIBAS) will feature the Falcon 8X, Dassault’s newest business jet in the ultra-long range class.

Since entering into service last year, the 6,450 nm/11,945 km trijet has been delivered to operators in key markets around the world, including the United States, Europe, Russia, the Middle East and India. The first Chinese based aircraft will be handed over in the coming weeks.

“The Falcon 8X offers the range and airport performance to connect our Chinese customers with business hubs throughout Europe, North America and Africa, which is of primary importance here,” said Eric Trappier, Chairman and CEO of Dassault Aviation. “And the feedback on our new flagship has been universally positive, especially cabin noise levels, which make it the quietest aircraft in its class.”

With eight passengers and three crew members, the Falcon 8X is capable of connecting Beijing with New York, Hong Kong with London and Shanghai with Los Angeles. The aircraft features a cabin 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) high, 2.34 m (7 ft 8 in) wide and 13 m (42 ft 8 in) long and offers customers the most diverse selection of cabin layouts on the market -- more than 30 configurations in all. Three galley sizes are available -- two with a crew-rest option -- along with an extensive selection of passenger seating areas of varying lengths capable of supporting different lavatory layouts, including one with a shower.

In the first six months the Falcon 8X has been in service, operational capability has been continuously upgraded, most recently through new approvals covering flight in severe crosswind conditions (up to 30 knots) and operation at London City Airport, one of the world’s most restrictive airfields.

The 8X has also been qualified with new equipment and service options that yet further expand its flight capabilities. These include:

• Dassault’s revolutionary FalconEye Combined Vision System, the first head-up display (HUD) system in business aviation to combine synthetic and enhanced vision capabilities in a single view. In addition to ensuring increased situational awareness in all conditions of operation, day and night, FalconEye will yield substantial operational improvements, including a 100-ft decision height, a feature which is planned to be certified next year. Almost all Falcon 8X customers have signed up to use the FalconEye HUD;

• Falcon Sphere II integrated electronic flight bag solutions. Delivered with a lightweight, ultra-thin, portable display and a vast array of new app functionalities, including Weight and Balance Module, Electronic Cruise Computation and Falcon Performance, Falcon Sphere II greatly reduces the time and effort necessary to prepare, manage and restitute business jet missions and moves operators even closer to the truly paperless cockpit;

• The new JetWave high-speed broadband antenna, which enables passengers to browse the internet, stream videos or videoconference anywhere in the world, over land or over water, as if they were in their office or at home, using Inmarsat’s Global Xpress Ka-band satellite network.

In addition to the Dassault Falcon 8X, the Beijing Red Cross Emergency Medical Center (999) will also exhibit a Falcon 2000LX in medevac configuration. The 999 aircraft is equipped with a full medevac kit suitable for any type of emergency evacuation mission, including treatment of endemics like the Ebola virus. It can also accommodate special devices like defibrillators electrocardiographs, echographs, a blood bank and an ECMO (Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation) unit.

Customer Service Activities Continue Expansion
Years of ongoing investments in the Dassault customer service network in China have led to significant added value to Chinese operators and transient customers. “Dassault’s commitment to offering industry leading customer support for our Chinese customers is a continuous process,” said Kathy Liu, Director of Customer Support for Asia-Pacific. “From expanding services to offering new products or improving support infrastructure, our goal is to provide the most value and the best service available on the market.”

Regional investments include:
• An agreement with Beijing-based Deer Jet to provide line and unscheduled maintenance for the Falcon 7X.
• Opening of a local customer service headquarters in Beijing in 2013 with a new, expanded office scheduled to open soon.
• Introduction of an onsite flight dispatcher training and jump seat support program, in 2013.
• Establishment of Dassault Falcon Services-Shanghai, a joint venture with Shanghai Hawker Pacific, in 2012.
• Further additions to spare parts inventory.

Located at Beijing Capital Airport, Deer Jet is one of the largest business jet operators in the Asia Pacific region. It manages and supports a large fleet of business jets, including the 7X. The partnership with Dassault covers light line maintenance (up to 2A and 2A+ inspections) and unscheduled maintenance on Chinese registered Falcon 7X aircraft at Deer Jet’s Beijing facility.

Dassault Falcon Services-Shanghai offers a full range of MR&O services, from heavy maintenance through A and B checks. Staffed by a team of Dassault trained technicians with an average experience of more than 10 years on Falcon business jets, it is equipped to handle line and base maintenance for aircraft registered in China, Hong Kong, Macau, Isle of Mann, Bermuda, the U.S. and the Cayman Islands and can handle all current production Falcon models.

The Dassault Falcon team has also moved to address special operator requirements that cannot be readily met by local service providers. In 2013, it introduced an initiative to provide onsite flight dispatcher training.

Maintaining a large Falcon spares inventory in China facilitates customer component exchange transactions, affording a significant time savings and sharply reducing duties and taxes. Combined with other spares depots in the Asia Pacific, this inventory allows operators to immediately access the top 3,000 high demand parts for in-production aircraft.