Dassault Falcon Service (DFS) recently completed an initial C-check on an in-service Falcon 7X jet, preparing the way for the start of routine overhauls. 

C-checks are the largest scheduled maintenance events on the Falcon 7X and are due every eight years or every 4,000 cycles, whichever comes first. Although the fleet leaders on the very long range trijet, which was introduced onto the market in 2007, have not quite reached this limit, it was decided to move up the first inspection at DFS slightly to demonstrate and optimise the quality of the Falcon 7X overhaul process. 

A second DFS 7X visit, including a full cabin renovation and an installation of an EVS in addition to overhaul work, is already under way with others scheduled to follow by mid-year. 

The aircraft involved in the initial C-check is seven years old and has flown 1,340 cycles. The inspection, carried out at DFS’s facility in Paris, France, also entailed bringing the aircraft up to the latest operating standard, renovating the interior, repainting the exterior and installing a satcom unit and high speed wi-fi system. 

“All the expertise needed for C-checks – maintenance, engineering, customer support, spare parts, cabin refurbishment - is available at Le Bourget or at the nearby Dassault Aviation design office in Paris, permitting the quick reactivity operators demand in the overhaul process,” said Jean Kayanakis, General Manager of Dassault Falcon Service. “We expect this to be a great differentiator and help us become the global reference in C-checks for the 7X and future Falcon models.” 

DFS has invested heavily in preparing the C-check programme for the 7X. Two dedicated 7X hangars have been set aside at Le Bourget, staffed in double shifts. A second facility will open in Bordeaux-Mérignac in 2016. This new installation, which will be equipped to handle six aircraft simultaneously, will also include a paint hangar. 

DFS is part of the Dassault company-owned service network which comprises three heavy service centres offering all levels of scheduled maintenance, airframe and engine maintenance, paintwork, interior modifications, avionics installation and upgrade. These centres are located in Little Rock, Arkansas and Wilmington, Delaware, both in the US, and Le Bourget. 

The network also includes a major service centre located in Reno, Nevada which provides all levels of scheduled maintenance and engine/APU line maintenance services. A line service centre in Sorocaba, Brazil is capable of full A inspection, avionics upgrade, and engine/APU line maintenance. All Dassault facilities offer 24/7 AOG support, unscheduled maintenance and troubleshooting service.

Additionally, seven satellite service stations in Van Nuys, California, St. Louis, Missouri, West Palm Beach, Florida (all in the US); London, England; Rome, Italy; Moscow, Russia; and Nice, France are capable of troubleshooting and unscheduled maintenance. 

Dassault Falcon is the global brand for Dassault business jets which are designed, manufactured and supported by Dassault Aviation and Dassault Falcon Jet Corp. 

Dassault Aviation is a leading aerospace company with a presence in over 90 countries across five continents. It produces the Rafale fighter jet as well as the complete line of Falcons. The company employs a workforce of over 11,000 and has assembly and production plants in both France and the US and service facilities around the globe. Dassault offers a range of six business jets from the twin-engine 3,350 nm large-cabin Falcon 2000S to its new flagship, the tri-engine 6,450 nm ultra-long range Falcon 8X. 

Dassault Falcon Jet Corp is a wholly owned US subsidiary of Dassault Aviation, France. Dassault Falcon Jet markets and supports the Falcon family of business jets throughout North and South America.