The Dassault Falcon 2000, equipped with the optional Flight Dynamics HGS-2850 Head Up Guidance System, earned Type IIIA certification from the FAA in May. The European Joint Airworthiness Authority had granted similar Category IIIA approval in February. The Falcon 2000 thus becomes the first business jet to gain Category IIIA certification from the FAA and European JAA.

The Falcon 2000, when equipped with the HGS-2850, can land in conditions of only 700RVR with a 50-foot decision height. A series of enhancements are envisioned on the HGS-2850 which will allow operators to conduct Category II approaches to Category I runways. Another enhancement will be takeoff guidance in low visibility conditions.

Although the Category IIIA capability is deemed a very important asset, a Dassault spokesman said the capabilities of the HGS-2850 go beyond Category IIIA approaches. "A large and very real value of the HGS-2850 will be in daily use. With the HGS-2850, there is increased situational awareness during takeoff, approach and landing phases," he said. "Also, crews will have better guidance when making non-precision approaches and approaches into the classic black hole airports where there are few visual references at night."

Dassault officials point to the safety record of the Mirage 2000 fighter equipped with a HUD for primary flight guidance. In more than 15 years of operation with the French Air Force and other air forces, the aircraft has had not one landing accident. In flight tests on the Falcon 2000, crews made 51 approaches using the HGS-2850. There were no go-arounds and only 2 touchdowns beyond the 2000-foot point. Without the HGS-2850, crews made 45 approaches that produced six go-arounds and 12 landings beyond the 2000-foot point.

More than half of the Falcon 2000 customers have opted to include the HGS-2850 in their purchase but Dassault officials do not expect most operators to certify the Category IIIA requirements. They cite numerous reasons including infrequency of Category III operations and associated costs for training and maintaining Category III qualified crews and equipment. They do expect more European operators to qualify crews to Category IIIA limits than in the U.S. due to more frequent low visibility days in Europe.

A spokesman from FlightSafety, which has two Falcon 2000 Level D simulators, said the FAA has yet to issue requirements for certifying crews. "The FAA is studying the requirements for Part 121 operators and have yet to decide what the corporate operator will have to do to get qualified and maintain qualification. Also, they have yet to say what can be done in the simulator and what must be done in the airplane." Therefore, crew qualification costs can not yet be defined.

Lacking requirements for certification, the official declined to put a price on training saying, "We think the training will require at least one day of ground school on symbology and use of the HUD plus at least one full simulator session."

Cost for the optional HGS-2850 is approximately $425,000. It will soon be offered as an option on the Falcon 900EX. Additional testing will follow with windshear warning in 1999.

By John Wiley