Dassault says its Falcon 7X is the first intercontinental bizjet to be certified for steep approaches into some of the trickiest — but most convenient — executive airports. Dropping into London City Airport and Lugano, Switzerland, for instance, requires up to a 6-degree approach angle and a similarly aggressive takeoff. London City is particularly challenging in that there’s only 4327 feet of runway available for landing and 3,944 feet for takeoff. It must accomplish both within strict noise limits. The certification means that a business person taking off from New York or Los Angeles can be in downtown London a few minutes after landing rather than having to drive an hour or more from one of the other London-area airports. “Business aviation is all about the need for efficiency and access to hard to reach places and an airport like London City combines the two,” said Dassault Falcon CEO John Rosanvallon. “Direct access to this important financial center is sure to benefit our U.S. based Falcon 7X customers, allowing them to be in meetings moments after landing.”
As might be expected, conducting approaches at twice the standard angle takes some training and pilots executing the approaches have to spend a day at the company’s training facility in Burgess Hill, England. Training will also soon be offered in Morristown, N.J. Dassault Falcon is also amending the aircraft’s manuals to reflect the new capability.
