First flight for Dassault Falcon 6X

摘要

At 2:45 p.m. local time on March 10, Dassault test pilots Bruno Ferry and Fabrice Valette pushed the throttles forward and lifted off on the first flight of Falcon 6X S/N1 from France's Bordeaux-Merignac Airport. The inaugural flight launched the flight-test phase of the widebody 6X, Dassault's newest fly-by-wire flagship. Certification and service entry are planned for 2022. Ferry-in the left seat-and Valette logged about two hours and 30 minutes during the flight, testing handling qualities, engine response, and key systems while climbing to 40,000 feet and reaching Mach 0.80. "The 6X flew exactly as predicted by our models," said Ferry. "From a pilot's perspective, it flies like a Falcon, which is to say with perfect precise handling in all phases of flight. Fabrice and I are honored to have made the latest first flight in another fantastic Falcon." "Today's flight is another milestone in Dassault history, made all the more satisfying by the remarkable efforts of the entire Dassault organization and its partners over the challenging past year," said Dassault Aviation chairman and CEO Eric Trappier. "We dedicate today's achievement to Olivier Dassault, who died tragically on [March 7]. Olivier was a Falcon pilot who perfectly embodied his family's boundless passion for aviation."