Summary The Falcon 8X offers impressive range and fuel efficiency - up to 6,450 NM nonstop and 15% more efficient. The jet features advanced technology like DFCS and FalconEye for enhanced safety and vision. The aircraft's unmatched versatility allows it to operate from hard-to-reach airports with short runways.
The Dassault Falcon 8X was first announced at the European Business Aviation Convention and Exhibition in May 2014, and on February 6th, 2015, the aircraft operated its maiden flight. After receiving certification in June 2016, in October 2016, deliveries began as Greece-based Amjet became the launch customer of the Falcon 8X. Due to the aircraft's impressive performance and comfort, it has become synonymous with long-range private aviation.
Today, Simple Flying will explore what makes the Falcon 8X the ultimate long-range private jet. 1 Impressive range and efficiency Range: Up to 6,450 NM nonstop while being 15% more fuel-efficient than any other aircraft in the long-range segment Production: 2015-Present Number built: 81 Number in operation: 81 The ultra-long-range Falcon 8X boasts one of the most extended ranges among private jets today. Three Pratt & Whitney Canada PW307D engines power the type, facilitating a range of up to 6,450 nautical miles (11,945 km) nonstop with an average flight time of 14 hours.
Moreover, the Dassault Falcon 8X can reach speeds up to Mach .90 (690 mph) and fly as high as 51,000 ft (FL510). The Falcon 8X design permits the aircraft to fly higher, further, and more fuel-efficiently.
According to Dassault , the 8X is up to 15% more fuel-efficient than any other long-range aircraft on the market. This is thanks to three Pratt and Wittney highly efficient engines that power the 8X as they reduce emissions to levels below standards. Additionally, the aircraft's enhanced engines boost the 8X's range through a 2% fuel consumption improvement, saving fuel and thus saving money for owners.
That said, the wing design and a lower basic operating weight also affect the 8X's unmatched efficiency. The jet's wings are designed to be lighter and provide more room for fuel. Winglets on the 8X are designed to reduce drag further and boost efficiency.
The Falcon 8X's lower basic operating weight is also integral to its impressive efficiency. Compared to Gulfstream GVII-G500, a Gulfstream long-range private jet, the Falcon 8X is 7,000 pounds lighter, enabling the Falcon 8X to operate with less fuel. Dassault's Falcon 8X is compatible with Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF), showcasing Dassault's commitment to sustainability.
The Falcon 8X is a stretched variant of Dassault's successful Falcon 7X. 2 Advanced technology Dassault offers multiple systems to enhance aviation Digital Flight Control System FalconEye Combines Vision System One of the unique features of the jet is that it is equipped with some of the most technologically advanced equipment currently on the market. Dassault Aviation, which also manufactures the Rafale fighter jet (in service with the French Navy and Air Force), equipped each Falcon 8X with a Digital Flight Control System (DFCS) derived from military aircraft.
The DFCS, often referred to as fly-by-wire, replaces the manual linkages that connect the cockpit controls with electronic cables. Dassault 8X's digital flight control systems operate with three main flight computers with three backups. Instead of flying an attitude, pilots fly a trajectory due to the advanced system.
Pilots will see the desired flight path, and the DFCS technology monitors the path and, via control-law logic, moves the surfaces as needed to attain the desired path. When a pilot makes an electronic input, the computers adjust the flight controls to manage the flight path. In addition to the DFCS system, Falcon 8X features the FalconEye Combined Vision System technology, although customers will need to pay an additional fee for this system.
Nevertheless, so far, four out of five Falcon 8X customers have opted to include the FalconEye. Dassult's breakthrough FalconEye was certified in February 2017 and is incorporated in the Falcon 8X's cockpit in a dual widescreen Head Up Display (HUD). I t increases situational awareness through terrain mapping with real-life thermal and low-light images thanks to Honeywell's 3-D color radar that features enhanced turbulence detection capabilities.
The unique HUD turns the darkest night into the brightest day for safe landings and provides pilots guidance down to 100 feet before the runway can be seen. It increases situational awareness during the day or night or operations in weather such as mist, fog, or snow. This technology increases the aircraft's low visibility operations capabilities.
3 Unmatched versatility Can operate from some of the most hard-to-reach airports around the world Takeoff distance: 5,880 ft (1,792 meters) Landing distance: 2,220 ft (677 meters) Approach speed: 123 mph (198 km/h) Although the Falcon 8X is slightly smaller than some of its competitors, such as the Gulfstream's G600 and Bombardier's Global 7500, its smaller size gives the 8X more versatility. The Falcon 8X can approach up to 6 degrees at 107 knots (198 kph) on landing distances as short as 2,220 feet and takeoffs on runways with a runway as short as 5,880 feet. The slow and stable approach speed and the takeoffs from shorter runways at a faster climb rate are partly due to the 8X's trijet engine configuration.
In 2017, the aircraft was approved to operate out of London City Airport's (LCY) notoriously short runway, which is just 3,934 feet, making it the only jet serving the long-haul segment capable of operating to and from London City. LCY is in the middle of London's financial district and features some of the most restrictive steep approaches and noise abatement regulations throughout the business aviation sector. The 8X can not only operate from LCY but can do so with superior range as it can fly as far as Chicago or Mumbai from the popular London airport.
The Falcon 8X can also operate from airports at high altitudes with shorter runways. While most high-altitude airports have longer runways to enable the increased landing and takeoff distance required due to the lower air density, some airports do not. In any case, it's not a problem for the Falcon 8X, as the type can operate from many higher-elevation airports.
The jet can land and take off at Colordo's Eagle County Regional Airport (EGE) at an elevation of 6,540 feet. With the 8X's superior range, it can fly as far as Geneva, Switzerland, from EGE. The world's four highest airports are in China.
4 An impressive cabin Dassault offers customers over 30 different cabin configurations to choose from Cabin length: 42 feet 8 inches (13 meters) Cabin width: 7 feet 8 inches (2.34 meters) Cabin height: 6 feet 2 inches (1.88 meters) Dassult's Falcon 8X, featuring a cabin length of just under 43 feet, boasts the largest selection of configurations in business aviation.
With the capacity to fit anywhere from 12 to 16 passengers onboard, there are over 30 different cabin configurations, each designed around what the customer prioritizes, such as dining, sleeping, relaxing, and working. Moreover, the interior of the 8X includes 32 windows to provide travelers with more natural light. While the French manufacturer offers three primary cabin versions: short, mid, and larger, they also provide various customization options, from a VIP suite to ultra-flexible seating to a conference layout.
Each of the three primary versions in the aft of the cabin features two couches that can seat three people and a table with four seats in the middle of the cabin, two opposing on either side. Most customizations owners make to the interior appear to occur in the front of the main cabin area. The short version includes a small galley and a mounted seat close to the front door, while the mid-version features a small couch and a larger galley near the front door.
In the large version, the front of the cabin includes a crew rest station with a bed that is 78 inches long and a large galley. Nevertheless, the jet's rear can also be customized as Dassault offers the option of a VIP private stateroom on the aft of the 8X. This space could also be converted to a media room with a 32-inch TV screen on a shower and lavatory, including a third lounge area.
The shower option on the 8X takes up less space than the shower on the 7X and provides passengers with 30 minutes of water due to an 88-liter water tank. An achievable operation, depending on the hours flown. 5 Unparalleled passenger experience The 8X's cabin features soundproofing and a cabin altitude pressurization system to reduce fatigue Wingspan: 86 feet 3 inches (26.
29 meters) Length: 80 feet 3 inches (24.46 meters) Engine: 3x Pratt & Whitney Canada PW307D Height: 26 feet 1 inch (7.94 meters) The 8X jet offers travelers an unmatched experience with every need accounted for.
As mentioned, the cabin of the Falcon 8X can be configured in various ways, all of which feature a bright cabin and low noise levels. The jet comes equipped with Rockwell Collins FalconCabin HD+ entertainment systems that send high-definition video and audio throughout the cabin via a Rockwell Collins onboard server. In addition to the entertainment, the Falcon 8X offers soundproofing that is an industry benchmark, creating a whisper-quiet cabin and immense comfort for travelers.
The soundproofing is made through acoustic insulation that concentrates noise-absorbing materials where the sound is the highest and is 2 decibels lower than the noise on the Falcon 7X. To reduce fatigue and jet lag for passengers on long flights, the aircraft's cabin altitude pressurization system is constantly maintained to feel like a cabin at 6,000 feet when the jet is at a cruising altitude of 51,000 feet and at 3,900 feet when flying a cruising altitude of 41,000 feet. This is a significant improvement as most airlines and business jets' cabin altitude pressurization system is maintained anywhere from 6,000 to 8,000 at a cruising altitude of 41,000 feet.
Dassault's Flacon 8X guarantees that passengers will travel in optimal conditions and arrive at their destinations fully refreshed and ready to hit the ground running without worrying about fatigue. Fear not for passengers concerned about the Falcon 8X's cleanliness, as the cabin air is continuously refreshed, making the air in the jet's interior ten times cleaner than the air in the most advanced office buildings today. The most produced Dassault Falcon ever was the Falcon 20.
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