On the Record with
JOHN ROSANVALLON, PRESIDENT, DASSAULT FALCON JET

Claiming to be the only business jet manufacturer not to reduce production in the soft economy after 9/11, Dassault will maintain output of about 75 aircraft this year and in 2003 and 2004, according to Dassault Falcon Jet president John Rosanvallon.

"Our message is that we are holding the course," he told Show News on the eve of NBAA.

"We are not planning to decrease our production figure, and that is good news," he said. "Of course our mix can vary," he added, pointing out that the "center of gravity has shifted toward the Falcon 2000 and 2000EX"-Falcon Jet's lower-end, large-cabin models.

"This is the same trend that is clearly being felt on the fractionals side," Rosanvallon said. "NetJets has difficulty selling GVs and BBJs, and we are seeing a similar thing.

"People right now think a nice $25 million airplane [such as the Falcon 2000] can be a very good tool. They are a little hesitant to spend another $10 million" on a 900 or 900EX, he said.

A major disappointment earlier this year was the failure of Avolar, the fractional ownership program launched with orders for hundreds of aircraft by the now almost-bankrupt United Airlines. Falcon Jet, however, had always viewed it with caution and has weathered the disappearance of the fractional venture and its order book.

"For this year and next we had only five deliveries planned for each year," Rosanvallon said. "I am pleased to say all of those positions have been resold for 2002, and because of our backlog running into 2003 we consider it all to be behind us.
"We had a fair settlement of the contract, and we are moving on," he said.

Falcon Jet has been making moves to support its U.S.-based customer service network, "and our efforts are paying off," Rosanvallon said. "We seem to be the only manufacturer that is moving up in the surveys; of course there is a lead time between what you do and what is perceived."

The company is working on expanding the capability of the Wilmington, Del., facility it bought 18 months ago from Atlantic Aviation. "Now it truly is a Falcon facility," Rosanvallon said, although it still works on non-Falcon aircraft as well.

By John Morris

7X Wing Will Take Future Falcons
Unlike other manufacturers, Falcon Jet isn't unveiling any new aircraft at NBAA. Instead, it is reporting progress with its next-generation, all new fly-by-wire Falcon 7X, whose wing will provide the founding block for a new family of Falcons over the next 30 years or so.

Also on schedule is flight testing of the Falcon 900EX with the EASy glass cockpit, and the similarly equipped Pratt & Whitney Canada-powered 2000EX. Both programs are running in parallel, and deliveries will begin in the second quarter of 2003.

Aircraft on display here include the Falcon 50EX, 2000 and 900EX with standard cockpit. "We couldn't bring the EASy cockpit, as it is in mid-certification," said Falcon Jet president John Rosanvallon, but an EASy engineering demonstrator can be seen at its booth.

Falcon 7X Sales Top 30 Units
Firm orders for the all new Falcon 7X have topped the 30-aircraft mark, according to Dassault Falcon Jet president John Rosanvallon.

Falcon has been working hard to convert earlier Letters of Intent into firm orders and has succeeded despite today's difficult market conditions, he said. One reason may be that customers find it easier to sign up for an investment further in the future than to commit to a capital expenditure today. Nevertheless, Rosanvallon said he is very pleased with market reaction to the 7X, which is priced at $37,150,000 in mid-2002 dollars. That includes a complete interior and EASy glass cockpit.

The first batch of 7Xs will go, not surprisingly, to long-term loyal Falcon customers who were first to sign up for the new model. The first available delivery slot is now for first half 2008, as production is sold out until then.

Rosanvallon said detail design is proceeding on the 7X, and the aircraft is on track for first flight in early 2005, certification in mid-2006, and deliveries in the second half of that year.

A new, one-fifth-scale model of the 7X, measuring 19 feet in length, can be seen here at the Falcon Jet booth at NBAA.