![]() ![]() The EASy flightdeck was first certificated in 2003, but remains a significant advance in man-machine interface over the cockpit layout in most other modern aircraft. Controlling the flightdeck functionality, rather than using an off-the-shelf solution, has allowed Dassault to offer a common cockpit across the Falcon range, and any pilot moving up to the 7X will be familiar with the avionics and require only differences training to gain a type rating. Dassault's own design, the EASy cockpit is based on Honeywell's Primus Epic integrated avionics. All production Falcons feature the same EASy integrated flightdeck as the 7X. All maintenance documentation is to be electronic, web- or DVD-based and Catia controlled and standardised.ĭassault currently builds the Falcon 2000DX, 2000EX, 900DX and 900EX. Not only does Catia act as the standardised design environment throughout the manufacturing process, it is also used in other ways: to design the assembly tooling ergonomically to optimise component accessibility by modelling maintainers' bodies and actions and to produce virtual-reality depictions of cabin interior options. On the day of certification the complete 7X manufacturing process was regarded as "mature" by Dassault and the company is close to its commercial break-even point based on orders. Three of the four aircraft in the certification programme are already sold to customers. There is no engineering mock-up and no prototype or pre-production models. Catia reduces waste and improves manufacturing accuracies, the company says. The partners then returned home in 2003 to design and manufacture their respective parts, but remained linked to the product-definition database and kept in lockstep with each other via a Catia virtual-reality centre at St Cloud.ĭassault says the 7X is the first transport-category aircraft to be completely designed in virtual reality. The 7X cabin has the same cross-section as the 900EX, but is longer, with additional windowsįor the two years after launch, Dassault gathered together its seven airframe partners and 15 system partners from Europe, Canada and the USA in Paris to refine and define the physical design using Catia workstations. ![]() The complete manufacturing process was to be controlled by the Catia three-dimensional design environment developed by sister company Dassault Systemes. Key design drivers were long range, around 11,100km (6,000nm) with NBAA IFR reserves, a high level of passenger comfort, low direct operating costs and high dispatch availability. The 7X was launched at the Paris air show in 2001. A visit to Dassault's design centre at Saint Cloud in Paris provided background on the programme. Dassault expects 50% of sales will go to the USA and 50% to the rest of the world, with Russia emerging as a major market.Īn opportunity to evaluate the 7X came with a flight at the controls of aircraft number 3 as it was ferried from the Dassault test centre at Istres to Bordeaux Merignac for the joint EASA/FAA certification ceremony. Falcon 7X cabin completion will be performed at Dassault's Little Rock, Arkansas plant and pilot training centres with Level D simulators have been established by CAE at Morristown, New Jersey and Burgess Hill, Sussex in the UK. Production rate at Merignac is set to be three aircraft a month initially, but that is expected to increase. European Aviation Safety Agency and US Federal Aviation Administration certification pilots joined Dassault test pilots on more than 25% of all flights. The 7X is an all-new design, and the development and certification flight-test programme took 22 months from mid-2005, involving 590 flights totalling 1,600h. Pilot Collins found the EASy cockpit lives up to its name ![]() Dassault's aim is to capture 40% or more of the long-range business jet market. By 27 April, the day on which the 7X received joint European and US certification, the company had booked more than 165 firm orders for the aircraft and the waiting time, for an order placed today, is four years. Now there is a third choice - the Dassault Falcon 7X.īut you will have to wait for delivery. If you wanted to buy a new business jet that could fly from London to, say, Singapore non-stop at Mach 0.80, until recently your decision would have been between the Bombardier Global Express XRS and the Gulfstream G550.
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