MAGAZINE 02 | (^15)

I

mpossible not to think on the
hero’s journey theory of Chris-
topher Vogler. A narrative con-
structing that we ind in the my-
thology heroes’ history, in Disney
characters and even in Star
Wars saga script. In
it, an apparently
common entity
is called to an
adventure, is
given super-
natural help,
overcomes
succes-
sively higher
ordeals, but
succumbs to
a challenge that
places it between
life and death. he
character, then, faces its
fear and the death. It wins
and comes back to the common
world bringing a git of gods, new
knowledge and skills that uses to help
everybody in the common world.
he saga until the emergence of the
new Falcon 6X, that Dassault has just
announced in Paris, and is expected
to enter the market in 2022, seems
to follow this script praised by the
symbology.

Everything began in 2014. In late

April that year, we went to France to

witness the birth of Dassault Falcon

Jet’s two new products, the Falcon

5X and 8X. he 8X was an upgrade

of the winner 7X with

more range and room,

while the 5X was

the company’s

beloved child, a

concept reno-

vating project

taking into

account the

market de-

sires of more

comfort for

users and the

incorporation

of new technolo-

gies and solutions

for pilots.

In May 2015, we came

back to Paris for the roll-out of the

5X and everything indicated that the

project was ready to hit the market

on the sweet spot with homologation

expected at the end of 2016. Hence-

forth, good news about aircrat test

progress came together with troubles

in the development of Safran’s Silver-

crest engines and uncertainties about

date of homologation. And inally, at

ON BOARD

OF THE 7X

In the trip of April 2014, new projects were

shown to us at the company’s headquarters

in Paris, and we visited three other production

units – in the cities of Biarritz, Martignas and

Merignac – before finally testing a steep

approach in the London City airport. All

this in just two days, thanks of the

convenience of our group to have a

7X at our disposal.

From left to right, Olivier Villa (Dassault’s VP of Civil

Aviation), Maria Della Posta (PWC’s VP) and Éric

Trappier (Dassault Aviation’s CEO)

EMBARRASSING

S I T UAT I O N AT N B A A

The inflection point that lead to the end of

the 5X and to the start of the 6X

In the marathon of simultaneous

press conferences at NBAA, we

ended by choosing those that we

will personally follow up. The one

who decided not to be at Dassault

2017 press conference regretted,

since he lost the most interesting

journalistic moment of the fair.

Generally, press conferences are

used for companies to exalt what is

going well in the company and to

hide the troubles, already indicating

solutions. However, none of this

occurred that day. Eric Trappier,

CEO of Dassault group did not sugar

coated when revealing that some days

before was informed that once again

development problems of Silvercrest

engines were impairing the program.

Visibly uncomfortable, Trappier

informed that a definite decision

about the project would be made

by the end of the year and he only

looked a little satisfied when inviting

a Safran executive who was seated in

the audience to personally explain the

unexplainable. Seemed to be the end of

the 5X and the beginning of a legal fight.

From Dassault’s press conference we

went to the traditional press conference

with launch of PWC – Dassault’s partner

in many of its projects - but neither this

nor any engine conference press would

follow its normal pace that year.