Dassault's new Falcon completes first year of flight testing

Dassault's newest aircraft, the twin-engine Falcon 2000S, has completed its first year of flight testing. As of today, the test aircraft has accumulated nearly 300 flight hours in more than 100 flights.

Outfitted with inboard slats and winglets that work together to reduce landing speeds, the 2000S also features a unique auto brake system which will allow it to access shorter and more challenging runways than any other airplane in its category. 

The first part of the test campaign included numerous maneuvers to demonstrate handling qualities, including stability, stalls, pitch, roll rates and failure mode tests, as well as takeoff with engine failure. Future portions of the campaign will evaluate VMCG (minimum control speed on ground) and VMU (take off at minimum speed), as well as air inlet distortion around the engines and maximum crosswind demonstration. 

“The Falcon 2000S flies so smoothly that many pilots will want to operate it manually, ” said Jean-Louis Dumas, Dassault Flight test pilot ,”We’ve found that the aircraft handles well in all aspects of the flight envelop while offering very large safety margins.” 

The Falcon 2000S will also undergo trials to allow it to be certified for steep approaches such as London City Airport. 

Certification is anticipated for the end of the fourth quarter of 2012.

Article Source : Arabian Aerospace