Falcon Comes in Coy to New Orleans, Where It's Unveiling New PW308 2000

"We'll have the full family on display," says Falcon Jet Corp president John Rosanvallon. Falcon Jet comes to New Orleans with an enviable spate of orders, 60 through the first nine months of 2000, with a projected 80 making for 300 aircraft in four years.

It's a strong enough pace, Rosanvallon says, for Falcon Jet to claim a clear gain over its competitors in terms of upper-end business jet market share.

Falcon remains positioned in the business jet marketplace the way Cadillac used to be in cars. Expensive, yes, with premium prices bringing prestige along with a comfortable quiet ride.

Falcon Jet flies in with a more fulsome flock this year, appropriately using NBAA 2000 to launch the new Falcon 2000EX twinjet.

Falcon's three trijets are the Falcon 50EX and the premium 900C and 900EX. The two 900s have Honeywell TFE731-5B and TFE731-60 turbofans respectively, and carry prices of $27.8 million and $31.2 million. The extra money for the 900EX buys a 12.5% improvement in NBAA IFR range, from 4,000 nmi for the 900C to 4,500 nmi for the 900EX. Both Falcon 900s have Honeywell Primus 2000 avionics. The Falcon 2000 has Collins Pro Line 4 EFIS avionics, and a published range of 3,000 nmi with its two CFE738s.

The new Falcon 2000EX has Pratt & Whitney engines in lieu of the 'orphan' GE-AlliedSignal (now Honeywell) CFE738s on the Falcon 2000.

The 900C is new too, having been certified in late August 1999. The Falcon 50 was discontinued in 1997 in favor of the 50EX. "We have no old airplane," Rosanvallon boasts.

The $18.2-million 50EX can travel 3,025 nmi with its three TFE731-40s. A new Honeywell avionics package is being promoted for the aircraft, supplementing the original Collins Pro Line 4 package.

Falcon earlier this year noted formal Category III approval of Flight Dynamics HGS-2850 Head-up Guidance System for the 900EX, allowing approaches with a 50-foot decision height and runway visual range as low as 600 feet. About three-quarters of all 900EX operators have opted for the HGS-2850, as have about half of all Falcon 2000 operators.

"The Flight Dynamics HGS is unique among head-up systems in its ability to provide full guidance to touchdown," Falcon says, noting that the system also benefits everyday IFR and VFR operations. Pilots don't have to switch from windows to instruments and back again. "This alone represents a quantum leap in situational awareness," says Falcon.

Flight path and flight path acceleration are presented conformally, and thus don't have to be compressed as on panel-mounted ADI/HSI instrumentation. "Instead, they match the outside world exactly, degree for degree," Falcon says. "This allows pilots to hand-fly an aircraft with greater ease and precision."

Dassault and Dassault Falcon Jet pilots worked on a FlightSafety International (FSI) simulator at Teterboro, NJ (Falcon's U.S. headquarters), and performed test flights in a Falcon 900EX at Istres, France to gain the Category III nod for the Flight Dynamics HGS.

Falcon business aircraft are built at the firm's Mérignac plant near Bordeaux, in southwest France, and flown away green for completion. Most Falcon completions are done at Little Rock, AK, where the firm can handle about 60 aircraft a year. Falcon Little Rock was expanded last year, with improvements including a new building for technician training by FSI. It now employs 1,750.

Dassault Falcon Jet maintains smaller completion capabilities at Mérignac and at its Paris-Le Bourget maintenance center, where it can do about ten Falcon completions per year, mostly for European customers. Jet Aviation Basel also handles some Falcon completion work.

Falcon this year expects ISO 9001 approval of its facilities at Little Rock.