A second aircraft has joined the Falcon 8X flight test campaign as the ultra-long-range trijet continues to pass key development milestones. 

Falcon 8X s/n 02 took to the skies from Dassault Aviation’s facility in Bordeaux-Mérignac, France, on March 30 with test pilots Hervé Laverne and Etienne Faurdessus at the controls. 

The flight plan was similar to that of the maiden flight on February 6. 

After initial checks on the digital flight controls and engine system, the pilots took the aircraft to 43,000 feet and Mach 0.8 for performance tests. After the test routine, the aircraft ran a series of additional checks before touching down after 2 hours and 45 minutes in the air. 

“We are very pleased with the way the aircraft responded and flew,” says Laverne. “It demonstrated the same flawless handling qualities as s/n 01, a very positive development at this early stage of the flight test campaign.” 

The aircraft will now join s/n 01 at the Dassault flight test centre at Istres, near Marseille, where it will mostly serve for performance testing. 

The full programme will total about 200 flights and 500 flight hours through final European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) and US Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) certification which is anticipated in mid-2016. 

Unveiled in May 2014 at European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition (Ebace), the latest addition to the growing Falcon business jet family rolled out last December. It will offer the greatest range and the longest cabin in the Falcon line, along with the most extensive selection of cabin configurations available on any business jet. 

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

Headquartered in France, 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. 

Since the rollout of the first Falcon 20 in 1963, over 2,380 Falcon jets have been delivered. 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. It markets and supports the Falcon family of business jets throughout North and South America.