Flight delays, cancellations, lost luggage and long security lines have made air travel a frustrating experience. This hassle factor has sent many to the arms of private jet providers. Instead of wasting time in Airports, people can drive straight on to the tarmac and climb aboard their waiting jet. They never have to worry about missing their flight. The pilots won’t take off until the passengers are ready to go. Won’t you enjoy the ride then?
Let us get to the world of private jet. Once upon a time!! no scrap that. Whenever Dassault is mentioned anywhere in the world, everyone thinks it as a military aircraft like Rafale, Ouragen, Mirage and others. But if we look at the history of Dassault from the start, civil aircraft has been the part of the whole picture. The roots of the Falcon line can be traced all the way back to 1932, an all metal, three engine propeller driven transport capable of carrying 10 passengers. The idea of business aviation originated in the late 50s and early 60s, mainly in the USA. This business aviation sought to meet certain needs unmet by commercial airlines. Business flyers wanted to go anywhere they wanted, when they wanted, with a class and elegance. The food, the wine, the bed, the lavvy and the pretty airhostess. Business aircraft is, a private or chartered aircraft for business class people, say the CXO’s escalated. Dassault had understood this from the start.
Dassault made a small twinjet – Mystere 20 for business aviation. At the time, the commercial aviation sector, following the lead of military operators was quickly adopting the jet engine technology which provided unmatched speed, range and endurance along with the comfort.
At the day of Mystere 20’s maiden flight in May1963, Pan American Airways visited Dassault’s plant. They sensed the potential in business aviation and wanted to take lead in that market in the US.
The Mystere 20 made such an impression that Charles Lindbergh who headed the Panam delegation telegraphed saying “I’ve found the bird.” Panam quickly placed an order for 40 planes sending a shockwave through then a very young industry. The Mystere 20 struck just the right balance between aerodynamics, flight performance and cabin comfort. That was the hardest part of combining elements to make a finished product. The name Mystere 20 means little to and in unpronounceable to Americans, so another name was selected – Jet Falcon 20. Falcon Jet Corporation, a US company was founded to market it. It was clear that the completion of aircraft customized for each operator, had to be treated separately and was done so. Operators found that the plane offered high performance and was robust, reliable and easy to maintain – a plane to count on. This image quickly spread around the world. Falcon 20 became synonymous with Dassault quality. It’s the founding plane of the Falcon family. Falcon 20 offered the ultimate in flexibility and versatility. It was used for multitude of special operations around the globe. It can land and take off on just about any terrain imaginable. By the late 60s and early 70s, business aviation had matured to the point where the National Business Aircraft Association began issuing statistics.
One striking fact was that the average business flight carried only four passengers. There Dassault saw the market for smaller aircraft. The aircraft was falcon 10. It played important role in creating today’s Falcon image. It performed exceptionally well. Passengers simply dazzled and pilots fell deeply in love with it, a perfect marriage, indeed.
In the early 70’s, operators began looking for an aircraft that could fly over the Atlantic and coast to coast across the USA. To increase safety margin, Dassault decided to meet the demand with a three engine aircraft: The Falcon 50. Dassault made a bold, forward looking decision, a step in the right direction: a supercritical wing profile. The performance of this airfoil proved so extraordinary. Result; it was used for nearly 20 years. The Falcon 50 was the major success in business aviation. Business aviation was no longer a novelty. It was a key element of the American economy and air transportation system. Starting with the Falcon 50, to responding to the customer’s needs, they focused on a greater operating range aircraft. A new class of wide body or large cabin jets emerged, because people wanted to be able to stand up and walk around, to have the more ease of movement than in the Falcon 20 or 50. The First of these was the Falcon 900. It had the same wing as the Falcon 50. The design also used the aerodynamics of the Falcon 50 in three engines on configuration.
Dassault was the only in to use and they mastered it. The Falcon 900 had a wider fuselage than the 50, bigger more powerful engines, more gas and greater range. All those were improvements, an ides essential to Dassault’s philosophy.
One of the Dassault’s primary assets was its brand, which was known and respected in aeronautics and beyond, particularly by American customers who appreciated the corporate continuity.
Dassault Falcon Service was the company’s standard for maintaining and servicing Falcon aircraft. There are service stations around the world located to facilitate access for Dassault’s global clientele. The idea is to stay in contact with the client from the prospecting stage to after sale operational use. Wherever the client is and whatever problem the client is facing, there is someone to help and answer the client. Providing customer service in keeping with the plane’s quality was the key strategic decision. Dassault planes deserved excellent services and today they have achieved that. The digital revolution in business aviation was born in the mid 1970’s with the introduction of computer added designs and among the digital pioneers was Dassault aviation which created an in-house CAD software suite known as CATIA.
Performance of the software was so exceptional that it was decided to market it outside the company under the name of CATIA. In 1981, a new corporation, Dassault systems was founded to sell it and support it. In the early 1990s, the Dassault Rafale became the first fighter to be designed using the CAD techniques. Since then, all new models have been designed and built by computer. The first civil aircraft designed was the Falcon 2000. Falcon 2000 perfectly met the need of more discerning and rapidly globalizing business-jet clientele.
Although by percentage, the US remained dominant, new customers emerged in Europe and Far East. In the mid 1990s, Dassault began working on a new man machine interface intended to further reinforce flight safety and reduce pilot’s workload. It was an organized concept which helped to improve crew performance by providing clear and concise information while leaving room for analysis helping the pilots makes the right decision at the right time.
The essential goal was to optimize their ability to control the craft. Passenger comfort has also benefited from the digital revolution. In particular by permitting them to better customize aircraft interior and visualize their choices through the 3D design tools, all the while staying true to the highest standard of elegance.
The Falcon 7x marked the arrival of a new generation of business jets equipped with the most advanced aerodynamic and flight control technologies. Dassault made a great coup, because the 7X was the first business jet in the world to use fly-by-wire. It was to provide great enhanced safety.
This change came from the real know-how acquired over many years working on Mirage 2000, Rafale. Before the Falcon is seen in the sky and is allowed to carry passengers, they’re put through the wringer. Flight-test campaigns are run to determine the envelope boundaries that the aircraft will not be allowed to exceed to determine the margins are sufficient and to ensure the safety of crew and passengers.
