The first production version of Dassault’s long-awaited new trijet, the Falcon 7X, entered service last week after completion at the company’s Little Rock, Ark., facility. Its first in-service flight was made on June 13 from Little Rock to Le Bourget for the Paris Air Show, a hop it made without stopping. Prior to the flight, the first in-service 7X (s/n 005) was delivered to Gilbert Chagoury, founder and chairman of The Chagoury Group, who placed the first order. Another copy, s/n 004, is on a fast track for delivery to Mr. Serge Dassault and for display at Le Bourget this week. Mr. Chagoury was the first order holder for the Falcon 7X when he signed his commitment in November 2001 and represents the first delivery in a backlog that now stands at over 165 aircraft. Announced at the Paris Air Show in 2001, the Falcon 7X was simultaneously certified by both the EASA and FAA on April 27, 2007.Dassault bills the Falcon 7X as the first business jet in the world equipped with a digital flight control system. It features Dassault’s EASy Flight Deck and is powered by three Pratt & Whitney Canada PW307A engines. The 7X has a range of 5,950 nm, allowing the new jet to comfortably connect 95% of the commonly used business aviation city pairs. “The technical achievements of the Falcon 7X program and the dedication of the program engineers and Dassault employees worldwide are well known,” said John Rosanvallon, president and CEO of Dassault Falcon. “However, equally important is the support and encouragement of the Falcon 7X customers like Gilbert Chagoury who have been with us through every step of the development, manufacturing and flight test process.”
