Dassault Aviation staged a virtual unveiling for the roll-out of the new Falcon 6X at Charles Lindbergh Hall in Bordeaux-Merignac, France.
“Today’s rollout is a significant achievement,” said Eric Trappier, chairman and CEO at Dassault Aviation. “I am very pleased to present the addition of an all-new aircraft design within the Falcon family, the ultra-wide body Falcon 6X. The challenges posed by the COVID-19 epidemic required exceptional perseverance and cooperation on the part of Dassault and its partner companies.”
Customers and operators from all over the world logged on to see the aircraft’s first public appearance. The live-streamed world premiere attracted a record number of visitors.
“The Falcon 6X presents a major step forward for large-cabin business jet operators,” continued Trappier. “Its award winning-cabin – the tallest and widest in business aviation – provides levels of spaciousness, comfort, productivity and safety that will set a new benchmark in the long-range segment.”
The rollout paves the way for completion of the ground test programme and the extensive systems checks that must be performed before the first flight, which is scheduled to occur early in 2021.
In recent months, Pratt & Whitney Canada completed ground and flight tests of the aircraft’s PW812D engine, clearing the path to first flight of the 6X.
The aircraft will have a range of 5,500 nautical miles (10,186km) and top speed of Mach 0.90. It will be capable of safe approaches as low as only 109 knots. This allows the 6X, like the other Falcons, to safely access small airports equipped with ultra-short and hard-to-reach runways.
