Dassault delivered its first Falcon 8X on Wednesday, to Amjet Executive, a charter operator based in Athens, Greece. The 8X is Dassault’s new flagship, with the longest range and the largest cabin in the fleet, at 43 feet long. It was certified by EASA and the FAA in June. Another 11 airplanes are in final assembly in Merignac, France, the company said. Those jets will be outfitted and painted at Dassault’s completion facility in Little Rock, Arkansas, which was recently expanded to accommodate the 8X deliveries, with a $60 million investment. The jets will be delivered to customers in the U.S., Europe, Brazil, India and the United Arab Emirates, Dassault said.
The 8X design, derived from the 7X, can fly up to 6,450 nm, at speeds up to Mach 0.9. The cockpit has been totally redesigned, with a new-generation EASy flight deck, Honeywell 3D color weather radar, enhanced turbulence detection capability and an optional widescreen head-up display. It’s powered by three Pratt & Whitney Canada engines, and sells for about $58 million. FlightSafety International also announced this week that it has started to offer an 8X training course at its Paris-Le Bourget Learning Center, using a new Level D flight simulator approved by both the FAA and EASA. The center will offer transition, initial and recurrent training as well as courses for maintenance technicians and flight attendants.
