DASSAULT FALCON 5X COMMERCIAL
take-off, and then signi es this to the crew
by changing the colour of checklist items
listed on the MDU from blue to green.
Graphical ght planning enables pilots to
use the CCD to click on an icon depicting
each phase of ight to bring up the menus
they need.
The EASy checklists are linked to synoptic
system displays. Dassault explains: “For
example, when the pilot reaches a fuel-
related item on the checklist, a fuel-system
diagram pops up adjacent to the checklist
window. This shows the real-time position
and operation of pumps and transfer valves
along with a graphic depiction of fuel
quantities in each tank.”
There is a worldwide database for airports,
airways, navaids and radio frequencies, as
well as the complete aircraft performance
database. Take-off performance (taking
account of runway length and V-speeds),
climb schedules, fuel reserves and landing
distance, can all be automatically calculated
by EASy, and new information is displayed
as the ight progresses.
Two electronic ight bags can be
integrated into the front instrument panel
and there is a capability to accommodate
dual Elbit Systems head-up displays that
provide a wider eld of view and show
enhanced vision system and synthetic
vision system data.
A different feature of EASy in the Falcon 5X
compared to other Falcon variants is a new
Honeywell RDR-4000 3D weather radar. This
displays hazardous weather and the vertical
de nition of thunderstorms at a range of 320
miles (514km), giving pilots a more accurate
depiction of conditions on the route ahead.
FalconScan
The integration of onboard diagnostics
capabilities aboard commercial aircraft is a
major development area in the industry, and
in another example of this trend the Falcon
5X will feature a real-time, self-diagnosing
maintenance system called FalconScan.
This system will use the onboard
computers and patented algorithms to
monitor more than 10,000 different system
readings on the aircraft. FalconScan
will then transmit this information
via satellite in real time to operators,
providing noti cations of in- ight
maintenance events and status reports
and allowing maintenance teams to begin
troubleshooting any issues while the aircraft
is still in ight.
Two new endurance testing methods,
Highly Accelerated Life Tests and Highly
Accelerated Stress Screening, will also
subject equipment and systems on board
the aircraft to extremes of vibration, humidity,
temperature, pressure changes and other in-
ight phenomena to verify their reliability and
identify any early failures.Silvercrest engines
The Falcon 5X will be powered by a
pair of Snecma Silvercrest high-bypass
engines, each generating 11,450lb (50.9kN)
thrust. This engine features a 6:1 bypass
ratio which Dassault says, “will permit a
signi cant reduction” in fuel burn, NOx
emissions, maintenance costs and noise.
The Silvercrest has also been selected to
power the Cessna Citation Hemisphere.
The Silvercrest uses technologies derived
from Snecma’s military and commercial aero
engines, including the CFM56, and features
an in- ight health monitoring system that
automatically transmits onboard data about
anomalies to Snecma support teams.
In 2015, development problems with the
Silvercrest were encountered: reportedly,
air ow through the low-pressure turbine was
not as controlled as expected. A solution
was found by adding controls and tweaking
the engine control software.
The problems disrupted the Falcon 5X’s
development schedule. When it launched
the aircraft in 2013, Dassault planned a
rst ight in Q2 2015, certi cation by the
end of 2016 and service entry in 2017.
For a while things ran on track. The rst
aircraft powered-up in August 2014 and
subsequently started ground tests, and a
static test bench also undertook strength
and fatigue tests.
However, the issues with the Silvercrest
led Dassault to announce early in 2016
a revised development timetable for the
aircraft, calling for preliminary ight tests
using the updated Silvercrest in 2017.
The recent ights using F-WFVX are
those preliminary trials collecting airframeand systems data to complement the
information from a ground test campaign
held in the spring, which included low-
speed and high-speed taxi trials.
The data collected in all these tests will
help build maturity on the Falcon 5X ahead
of the rst fully edged tests using the
modi ed engines in 2018. The Falcon 5X’s
service entry is now scheduled for 2020.
Eric Trappier, Dassault Aviation Chairman
and Chief Executive Of cer, said: “We will
closely monitor the validation tests on the
modi ed Silvercrest... as their results will
be critical for meeting the 5X entry into
service.” Trappier has stressed how “our
customers are anxious” to y the aircraft.
Dassault itself will, of course, hope the
development issues are a thing of the past.
The company has already felt some impact
from the delays; according to its latest
annual nancial report it lost orders for 12
Falcon 5Xs last year.
Dassault nonetheless remains con dent
in the latest Falcon’s potential, Trappier
saying the jet will create, “a new341 Dassault’s latest Falcon business jet, the 5X, during its maiden fl ight on July
5, 2017. Dassault Aviation 2 The Falcon 5X’s development has been delayed by
development issues with the Snecma Silvercrest engines powering the aircraft.
A Daste/Dassault Aviation 3 A third-generation version of Dassault’s EASy fl ight
deck, which uses Honeywell’s Primus Epic avionics, is designed to be highly
interactive and intuitive to maximise pilots’ situational awareness. A Daste/Das-
sault Aviation 4 Dassault test pilots Philippe Deleume and Philippe Rebourg fl ew
Falcon 5X F-WFVX on maiden initial fl ight. P Stroppa/Dassault Aviation