Dassault Falcon 50
| Falcon 50 | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Dassault Falcon 50M of the French Navy | |
| Role | Business jet |
| Manufacturer | Dassault Aviation |
| First flight | 7 November 1976 |
| Produced | 1976 - 2008[1] |
| Number built | 352 |
| Developed from | Dassault Falcon 20 |
| Variants | Dassault Falcon 900 |
The Dassault Falcon 50 is a French-built super mid-sized, long-range corporate jet, featuring a three jet engine layout with an S-duct central engine. It has the same fuselage cross section and similar capacity as the earlier Falcon 20 twinjet but is a completely new design that is Area ruled and includes a more advanced wing design.[2]
The first prototype flew on 7 November 1976, with French airworthiness certification on 27 February 1979, followed by U.S. Federal Aviation Administration certification on 7 March 1979.[2] Dassault developed a maritime surveillance and environmental protection version as the Gardian 50[3]
The Falcon 50 was later replaced by the Falcon 50EX, the first of which flew in 1996,[4] and the last of which was delivered in 2008.[1] The Falcon 50EX features improved engines and other enhancements to give further range improvements to an already long-legged jet. It remains a very popular corporate jet for its long-range, luxury, and for the recognition of status for owning a fast three-engined jet.
The last Falcon 50EX was built in late 2007 and delivered in early 2008.
Successors of the Falcon 50 are the Falcon 7X[5] and the Falcon 900 featuring a larger fuselage and the same three-engine arrangement. Dassault announced in January 2008 what is essentially a replacement aircraft for the Falcon 50, codenamed the "SMS" (Super Mid Size). The basic design process, including engine select was supposed to be completed by the early 2009. However, in a June 2009 press conference, CEO Charles Edelstenne said that all design choices had been reopened and the goal was intended to the end of the year.
Dassault and Aviation Partners Inc. have announced that High Mach blended winglets were being developed for the Falcon 50 as a retrofit kit.[citation needed]
Contents |
[edit] Operators
Benin
Burundi
Djibouti
Egypt
France - French Navy
Iran
Iraq
Italy
Jordan
Libya
Morocco
Portugal
Rwanda
Serbia
South Africa
Spain
Sudan
Switzerland - Swiss Air Force
Venezuela
Yugoslavia
[edit] Accidents and Incidents
Rwandan President Juvénal Habyarimana, Burundian President Cyprien Ntaryamira, the Chief of Staff of the Rwandan military, two Burundian ministers, and 7 others were killed when Habyarimana's Dassault Falcon 50 was shot down over Kigali airport on 6 April 1994.[6] The assassination of Habyarimana triggered the Rwandan genocide. The plane crashed on the grounds of the presidential residence.[7]
[edit] Specifications
Data from Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1988-89 [8]
General characteristics
- Crew: Two
- Capacity: 8 to 9 passengers
- Length: 18.52 m (60 ft 9¼ in)
- Wingspan: 18.86 m (61 ft 10½ in)
- Height: 6.98 m (22 ft 10½ in)
- Wing area: 46.83 m² (504.1 ft²)
- Empty weight: 9,163 kg (20,200 lb)
- Max. takeoff weight: 17,600 kg (37,478 lb)
- Powerplant: 3 × Garrett TFE731-3-1C turbofan engines, 16.5 kN (3,700 lbf) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: Mach 0.86 (915 km/h, 494 knots, 568 mph)
- Cruise speed: Mach 0.82 (888 km/h, 479 knots, 551 mph)
- Range: 6,480 km (3,500 NM, 4,025 sm)
- Service ceiling: 14,935 m (49,000 ft)
[edit] See also
- Related development
- Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
- Related lists
[edit] References
- ^ a b http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2008/05/13/223620/what-crisis-business-aviation-continues-to-ride-high.-we-look-at-manufacturers-latest-offerings.html
- ^ a b Taylor 1988, p.75.
- ^ Taylor 1993, p.928
- ^ http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/1996/05/01/17122/dassault-flies-falcon-50ex-for-first-time.html
- ^ http://www.flightglobal.com/articles/2002/07/16/151403/longer-faster-7x.html
- ^ "ASN Aircraft accident Dassault Falcon 50 9XR-NN Kigali". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 15 December 2008.
- ^ Raymond Bonner (November 12, 1994). "Unsolved Rwanda Mystery: The President's Plane Crash". The New York Times. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0DE3DC1631F931A25752C1A962958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=3. Retrieved 2008-01-01.
- ^ Taylor 1988, pp.75—76.
- Taylor, Michael J. H. (1993). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions.
- Taylor, John W R. (editor). Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1988-89. Coulsdon, Surrey, UK:Jane's Information Group. ISBN 0-7106-0867-5.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Dassault Falcon |
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