The third and final Falcon 8X test aircraft has joined the flight test campaign on May 11 . The Falcon 8X prototype 03 took off from Dassau...
In June, Prototype 03 will be ferried to the Falcon completion facility in Little Rock, Arkansas, where it will be fitted out with a full cabin and tested for cabin comfort and sound level.
The first two test aircraft are both well into the certification campaign at the Dassault flight test center at Istres, near Marseille, France.
The first prototype achieved maiden flight on February 6 and the second joined the test campaign on April 2.
Prototype 01 recently finished opening the flight envelope, including high speed performance testing at Mach 0.96 (beyond its MMO), maximum ceiling of 51,000 ft and full range of angles of attack. The aircraft also tested out different weight configurations, including MTOW, and underwent a high energy brake test campaign.
Meanwhile, Prototype 02 has begun its test routine, which is aimed at verifying key performance parameters such as fuel consumption and landing/takeoff distance. Completion of certification performance trials is anticipated this summer.
Altogether, the three test aircraft have completed 50 sorties as of mid-May. The full program will total some 200 flights and 500 flight hours through final EASA and FAA certification, which is anticipated in mid-2016.
Aircraft production is also well advanced. Eight aircraft are currently in final assembly and 15 other units are at various stages of production.
Unveiled in May 2014at European Business Aviation Convention & Exhibition (EBACE), the latest addition to the growing Falcon business jet family rolled out on December 17.
It will offer all the advanced technological features of the popular Falcon 7X from which it is derived, including the industry's quietest and most comfortable cabin. The 8X will also feature the greatest range and the longest cabin in the Falcon line, along with the most extensive selection of cabin configurations available on any large cabin business jet.
It has a length 80.2 ft, height of 26.1 ft and wing span of 86.25 ft. The cabin has a length of 42.67 ft excluding cockpit and baggage, along with a Maximum headroom 74.00 in.
8X has a Maximum takeoff weight of 73,000 lb and is powered by three Pratt & Whitney Canada PW307D turbofans rated at a thrust of 6,722 lb each.
Falcon 8X Cutaway
