Your Business Aviation Resource & Marketplace 2023 | Vol. 33, No. 5
NICHOLAS AIR NJ Correnti, Founder and CEO
INSIDE
What’s happening in business aviation
3 Questions: Textron Aviation’s Draper
Flying a Legend: Falcon 20
Pilots are getting paid
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Aviation is our lifeblood. We’ve lived it for three generations, seeing how aircraft empowers business and fosters connections. We guide you through the world of global aviation. Tap into our expertise and passion. Aviation is our lifeblood. We’ve lived it for three generations, seeing how aircraft empowers business and fosters connections. We guide you through the world of global aviation. Tap into our expertise and passion. Let us find the specific aircraft that fits your needs. Contact us to begin. Let us find the specific aircraft that fits your needs. Contact us to begin.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Editorial Features
24
Taxi Out: What’s happening in business aviation
30
3 Questions: Textron Aviation's Ron Draper
34
Flying a Legend: Falcon 20 by Fred George
58
Pilots are getting paid by Michael Wildes
AD INDEX:
32 57 75 Professional Services FBO-Charter Luxury Real Estate
8
THE WORLD’S MOST WIDELY READ AVIATION MAGAZINE
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Volume 33 | Issue 5 | 2023
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Julie Boatman
SENIOR BUSINESS EDITOR Fred George
CREATIVE DIRECTOR Amy Jo Sledge
COPY EDITOR Travis Tingle
DESIGN & PRODUCTION Amy Deal
CONTRIBUTOR Michael Wildes
PUBLISHER & CHIEF COMMERCIAL OFFICER Lisa deFrees - lisa@flying.media
DIRECTOR OF SPECIAL PROJECTS & AD OPERATIONS Andy Welch - andy@flying.media
DIGITAL MEDIA COORDINATOR Aaron Will - aaron@flying.media
SENIOR BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER Roxanne Sweazey - roxanne@flying.media
Craig Fuller - Chief Executive Officer
Mike Ring - Chief Content Officer
Lisa deFrees - Publisher & Chief Commercial Officer
CONTACT US 605 Chestnut St Suite 800 Chattanooga, TN 37402 423-269-2489
To adjust your bulk order or for change of address: aaron@flying.media
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STABILITY & SERVICE
At NICHOLAS AIR, we rely on a strong set of core values to help guide us to be one of the most- respected private aviation brands in the world. Our responsible approach to growth has continued to yield great results, but has also made NICHOLAS AIR the highly-desired brand to work for that it is today. Our people come from all over the country to join our team, knowing that our program is backed by the values of accountability, integrity, and trust. And the result of being true to those values? The result is time and time again, NICHOLAS AIR has become the top destination for the industry’s most knowledgeable customers and the industry’s best employees. We believe in having the best aircraft, the best pilots, and the best team—all moving in the same direction to provide a world-class experience to the most refined set of private flyers. And our Members have noticed. They cast aside their previous fractional, jet card, and charter relationships to come be a part of our brand. More importantly, they stay with us for good.
As the industry continues to evolve, private flyers come to NICHOLAS AIR because both the company and the program have earned their places as the symbols of stability and corporate responsibility. Thoughtful decision making, financial responsibility, and a commitment to core values continue to shine in an industry that sees the landscape shift by the day. For those truly in the know, the decision to join NICHOLAS AIR is met with excitement and comfort, just like each flight onboard it’s young, modern fleet.
It’s Not Just Private, It’s Personal.
NICHOLAS AIR continues to set the mark for what high-touch customer service and corporate stability should be, and in no industry does it matter more than in private aviation. Whether you are a private flyer seeking a new partner for your travels, or an industry professional looking for your new home, I invite you to come find out why NICHOLAS AIR continues to set the standard.
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2001 Global Express - s/n 9047
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Check out our newest aircraft listings and our G700 360 walk-through tour on Freestream.com.
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TAXI OUT WHAT’S HAPPENING AROUND THE BUSINESS AVIATION INDUSTRY
Jet Center at Santa Fe has completed construction on its new executive terminal facility and the renovation of its former FBO space at Santa Fe Regional Airport (KSAF). The 6,200-square-foot customer terminal features a modern Southwest aesthetic with 18-foot ceilings appointed with natural wood and metal beams, complemented by a chandelier. The lobby features a large, 10-panel window that overlooks the ramp and offers magnificent views of the Jemez Mountains. The lobby experience is capped off by a floor-to-ceiling stone fireplace surrounded by an inviting seating area. The terminal building also includes a VIP conference room with full audio/visual setups, restrooms, and a pilot lounge with a snooze room and fully stocked refreshment bar. Aviation marketplace Locatory.com has announced a rapid increase in demand for used parts for maintenance and aftermarket services, driven by a significant surge in maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) activity. Over the last quarter, the company says it has experienced an impressive 33 percent growth in inquiries for aircraft parts, underscoring the vital role it plays in connecting buyers and sellers within the aviation community. According to industry data, the global aircraft aftermarket parts market is projected to grow from $31.22 billion in 2021 to $47.33 billion in 2028. With the market poised to continue this growth, Locatory.com expects to further develop its offerings and expand its spare parts database, which currently grows by 15 percent monthly, allowing for a wider variety of available parts. Makers Air, serving the Bahamas and Exuma islands for 30 years, has acquired Staniel Air . Makers Air says this strategic move signifies an advancement in delivering unparalleled travel experiences while expanding services to new horizons. Makers Air’s dedication to service remains unchanged, according to the company. It will retain a substantial portion of Staniel Air’s workforce, ensuring a seamless transition and maintaining the high level of service both companies are renowned for, including an expanded fleet, new routes, enhanced charter services, state-of-the-art facilities, and an upgraded experience.
24
Classic Air Medical and its medical evacuations are integral to the history of Classic Aviation—the longest-running FBO at Page Municipal Airport (KPGA) in Arizona. What began as an air medical rescue service evolved into a full-fledged FBO when the city of Page required the facility to become a licensed FBO to store fuel on-site for mounting medevac demand. From its base near sprawling Lake Powell, Classic Air Medical has made a difference in the lives of many patients and family members, including many suffering traumatic injuries. With more than 3 million tourists hiking, boating, backpacking, and biking through a sweeping recreational destination, accidents and illnesses happen frequently. Classic also transports and rescues patients from across the mammoth Navajo Nation. “When you’re severely hurt 150 miles from the nearest interstate, dealing with a traumatic injury becomes a matter of life or limb,” says Matt Stein, chief operations officer for Classic Air Medical. “In 1988, Classic began with its first helicopter. There were awful traumas occurring among Lake Powell boaters, but it would take four hours or more to get to the nearest trauma center.” West Star Aviation, headquartered in Chattanooga, Tennessee, has named Allen McReynolds as new chief operating officer. The company said McReynolds will support employees by making strategic investments in people, training, tooling, technology, and processes, while improving safety, with on-time and squawk-free delivery performance. He has spent his entire career in and around aircraft maintenance covering business aviation, commercial operations, and defense. Beginning his career in the airline industry, he served in roles of progressive responsibility in nearly every functional area, culminating in the position of senior vice president of technical operations of a large U.S. carrier. Previously, McReynolds held leadership roles in aftermarket and customer support with both Textron Aviation and Hawker Beechcraft, having responsibility over both global sales and the service center network. Most recently, he was the managing partner at SeaTec Consulting for more than seven years. Signature Aviation has opened a renovated private aviation facility at L.G. Hanscom Field (KBED) in Bedford, Massachusetts. The upgraded facility features an array of customer-centric designs and amenities focused on space, speed, and sustainability, highlighted by the construction of a new 6,500-square-foot passenger terminal. This terminal adds 2,500 square feet of space to give customers access to modern, high-end amenities prior to departure. Optimizing landside to airside access at Signature Bedford was a driving factor given the preference of private aviation travelers to board directly at the aircraft door, according to the company. Signature created a one-way airside loop to make aircraft boarding safer and more intuitive, and simplified the landside arrival experience with additional signage and faster-moving access gates.
25
Aircraft Sales, Brokerage, Acquisitions and Consulting
1969
King Air 350i
S/N: FL-1226 - 87 Hours Since New, Factory Warranty Still Remaining, Recent Textron Maintenance, Ready to Go!
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S/N: 1019 - 3,520 Hours Total Time, U.S. Based, Private Owner has Replacement Aircraft Purchased.
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est. 1969
Eurocopter EC135 P2+
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Citation III
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Gulfstream G450
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QUESTIONS 3
RON DRAPER, TEXTRON AVIATION Almost 10 years ago, Textron Inc. purchased the assets of Beechcraft and set out to join the storied OEM with its rival across town in Wichita, Kansas, Cessna Aircraft Co., under the umbrella of Textron Aviation, along with Bell Helicopters, based in the Dallas area. Ron Draper, a 25-year Textron veteran, has spent most of his Textron career with Cessna but moved around in increasing leadership positions. In 2018, he returned from Bell to lead Textron Aviation as its president and CEO. Draper served as a helicopter pilot in the Army, and he now has his Cessna Citation CJ3 type rating along with time in the company’s fixed- wing piston singles. BusinessAIR asked Draper recently for his assessment of the business aviation market and Textron Aviation’s position in it.
QUESTION 1
BusinessAIR: Based on the recent demand surge and softening in the business aviation market, how is Textron Aviation adjusting its offerings to adapt to those changes? Has a new kind of customer emerged from the pandemic years? Ron Draper: The market for us…feels like a pretty strong market. Sales are very strong through the year; you can see that in our first-half results: [For the] first half of the year thus far, book to bill [ratio] has been greater than one, so we’re still booking more airplanes than we’re delivering. North America [shows]
no change [and] is our strongest market. Customer sentiment in our marketplace still is fairly strong…many in the marketplace— looking at surveys, consumer confidence—really feel like that the market is going to stay pretty resilient going forward. We’re pretty confident in the market. We’ll see how things unfold in the second half, but right now our sales are strong and we continue to move forward. Fractional still seems really strong, and they seem to be picking up on maybe some of those new customers that came into the industry, that maybe chartered for a while [who] then maybe move into fractionals. So, we’re watching the stickiness of all that.
QUESTION 2
BusinessAIR: How has Textron Aviation navigated the supply chain issues that have plagued OEMs across the industry? Is there interplay with the backlog on the turbine side? Ron Draper: [Looking] at deliveries thus far this year, jets are down a couple [of units] compared to last year, as we pushed
through some supply chain challenges, but jet deliveries are planned to increase for the second half—we’re working hard on that. Actually, turboprops and pistons are up through the first half of the year, compared to last year, turboprops up a small amount, and pistons up substantially, so ’23 deliveries are going well, and we’ve got a lot more planned in the second half of the year.
QUESTION 3
BusinessAIR: The Beechcraft Denali has been a much-anticipated addition to the single-engine turboprop market, and it looks sized to fit a sweet spot with capacity and performance—and efficiency. That efficiency comes in part from the clean-sheet GE Catalyst powerplant. How is the program going, following the delays introduced by certifying a clean-sheet airframe and engine at the same time? Ron Draper: I feel great about the Denali. It made its airplane debut at EAA [AirVenture]. We’ll also take it to NBAA [the National Business Aviation Association’s Business Aviation Conference and Expo] this year, and it’s exciting. If you’re paying attention in the skies over Wichita on any given day, we have three of them flying, engineering
aircraft that are flying every day. The airplane’s flying great… the performance of the engine is going great. We still have a lot of certification paperwork to get through at the FAA. We are finishing up the last couple of months through the end of the year all of our development flights. By the end of the year, we should lockdown engineering, and early next year go into FAA for-credit certifying. That will put us into [certification] in the second half of next year. The risk factors are shrinking as we do all that. I wish we had it now. It is audacious to do a brand-new engine and a brand-new airplane. It would have been simpler to go with an existing engine—we would have been able to go a little faster, but we’re going to get 15-plus percent better fuel efficiency out of this engine. That was the target, and in our own flight testing we’re beating that.
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FLYING A LEGEND: FALCON 20 Dassault’s bold foray into business aviation
BY FRED GEORGE
T he Mystère-Falcon 20 might well have been still- born had it not been for the foresight and iron will of company founder and chief engineer Marcel Dassault. During the first two decades after World War II, the firm established itself as France’s only pri- vately owned and most successful developer of military jets. Dassault employed roughly one-third of the staff of large French aerospace organizations. It was a very lean firm that each year hired the top 35 to 40 honor gradu- ates of the country’s three top technical institutions, known as “ Les Grandes Écoles , ” according to a 1973 Rand Corp. report. Monsieur Dassault personally interviewed many of the job applicants and chose their initial work assignments. ENTER THE OURAGAN Members of Dassault’s elite engineering teams were impressively talented and equally opinionated when it came to projects they chose to endorse. From 1945 to 1965, Dassault leapt into the jet age as fast as any aircraft manufacturer. The first fighter jet from its engineering house was the 1949 MD 450 Ouragan— “Hurricane”— also France’s first homegrown military jet. The Ouragan marked the resurgence of the French aviation industry
after WWII, and firmly established Dassault as the coun- try’s preeminent developer of combat aircraft. While it was designed for the French Air Force, the MD 450 sold well in the export market to Israel, India, and El Salvador. The Ouragan spurred the evolutionary development of the MD 452 Mystère series of fighters, starting in 1951, followed by the MD 550 Mirage series in 1958—each with more speed, better systems, and enhanced high-speed stability. Pushing up to and beyond Mach 1, Dassault recognized the need for irreversible hydraulic flight con- trols that were immune to compressibility effects. When no suitable ones were available, the firm designed, devel- oped, and perfected its own flight control actuators and artificial feel systems. Embracing an evolutionary, incremental, low-risk design philosophy, Dassault produced almost two doz- en Ouragan-Mystère and Mirage fighter variants in the 1950s and 1960s, earning a reputation for consistently meeting cost, schedule, and performance targets. The company’s strong suit centered around its leading-edge engineering and meticulous program management. Dassault farmed out some—and sometimes most—of full-rate production to French state-owned manufactur- ers, in large part to ward off the temptation by the coun- try’s officials to nationalize Dassault because of its profit-
Marcel Dassault (second from the right) hosts Charles Lindbergh (fourth from the right) in reviewing the Mystère 20.
The Mystère 20’s first flight marked the beginning of the business jet era for Dassault.
ability. Military contracting had made M. Dassault one of the wealthiest entrepreneurs in France, and doubtlessly one of the most envied. As successful as the firm was at producing high per- formance fighter jets, M. Dassault became increasingly concerned about the mercurial swings in defense con- tracting, so he started exploring the nascent business jet market in the mid 1950s. Developments of the Mo- rane-Saulnier Paris Jet, Lockheed Jetstar, and McDon- nell 119/220 were well underway, and M. Dassault didn’t want to watch from the sidelines. This did not sit well with his senior engineering team, as its members saw no need for Dassault Aviation to deviate from well-proven military aircraft programs. LAUNCHING THE BUSINESS JET Dassault’s first business jet concept was the 1954 Médi- terranée. The 10-seat airplane was to have a mid-mount- ed wing using a conical camber airfoil adapted from the Mystère IV. It would be powered by Dassault’s own R.7 Farandole turbojets—30 percent higher thrust versions of Bristol Siddeley Vipers—mounted in pods under the wing. However, the Méditerranée never left the drawing table as Dassault determined it would be too costly to develop and too fuel thirsty. The firm’s senior engineers, outside of Marcel Dassault, felt vindicated in their oppo- sition to business jets. Five years later, Dassault began to morph the Méditer- ranée into the Mystère 100, a variation with a low wing and aft-mounted engines. In 1961, the Mystère 20 con- cept, a derivative of Mystère 100, began to evolve. When Pratt & Whitney’s new and more fuel efficient JT12D tur- bojets became available, M. Dassault quickly pushed for
development of the Mystère 20 prototype. It was ready for its maiden flight in May 1963, much to the dismay of Dassault’s senior engineers and market research staff. Marcel Dassault had his business jet, but he wasn’t about to spend millions of francs on economic “indus- trialization,” a French term for full-scale development of the jet, without a launch customer. Coincidentally, Juan Trippe, Pan American World Air- ways founder and chairman, also needed a suitable small jet in 1960 with which to start Pan Am’s Business Jet Di- vision (BJD), a new arm of the company that would sell and distribute corporate aircraft. Pan Am needed an air- craft that specifically fit the needs of its North American customer demographic—coast-to-coast range with one fuel stop, eight-passenger payload with full fuel, and near jetliner cruise speed. Trippe tapped Charles Lindbergh to be Pan Am’s tech- nical adviser, who, together with Al Ueltschi, Trippe’s personal pilot, Pan Am chief engineer John Berger and others, evaluated several candidate aircraft for suitabil- ity. Lindbergh, standing 6-foot-3, put top priority on cab- in comfort and roominess. That ruled out the tiny Mo- rane-Saulnier MS-760 Paris Jet, the new Learjet 23, and the Sabreliner 40. The Lockheed L-1329 JetStar was plenty big enough inside, but it had the girth of a small jetliner and four fuel-thirsty turbojets to feed. Lindbergh’s team narrowed the candidates to the Hawker Siddeley HS.125 (nèe de Havilland DH.125 Jet Dragon) and the Mystère 20, larger than Jet Dragon with a more accommodating cabin. Both the HS.125 and Mystère 20 had maximum ranges less than 1,000 nm, far too short to meet Pan Am’s needs.
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Pan Am BJD actually inked 54 orders before receiving its first demonstrator. First flight of the production ver- sion occurred in July 1964 at Sud Aviation at Melun-Vil- laroche, France, according to The New York Times . First deliveries began in 1965 with the aircraft initially priced at $995,000. This opened more customers’ eyes to the Falcon 20’s potential. In 1973, Federal Express launched its over- night package delivery service with 14 Falcon 20 jets, modified with 74.5-inch-wide forward cargo doors. The French Navy and U.S. Coast Guard placed orders for special mission models. NASA and Draken Europe (née Draken International) operate heavily modified Falcon 20s. Freighter versions remain in service today with small overnight cargo companies. Dassault went on to deliver 515 production configura- tion Mystère-Falcon 20 series jets from 1965 to 1988 in nine different variants, starting with the original Falcon 20 standard and culminating with the Falcon 200. LET’S GO FLYING Considering the Mystère-Falcon 20’s intriguing history and fighter jet DNA, I leaped at the chance to fly one again, something I’d not done in nearly three decades. The goal of the 2023 project was to create a 60th anniversary celebration promotional video for the Dassault Falcon Jet to commemorate the first flight of the Mystère 20 prototype. The biggest challenge was finding a suitable Falcon 20 owned by a third party who would allow me to fly it because both Dassault Aviation in France and Dassault Falcon Jet in Teterboro, New Jersey, haven’t operated the model in decades.
AN OPPORTUNITY FOR MYSTÈRE 20 When Pan Am requested that Hawker Siddeley make upgrades to the HS.125 to boost its range from 1,400 to 1,500 nm, the Brits balked because it would delay the cer- tification program. Marcel Dassault, in contrast, jumped at the opportunity to team with Pan Am to create a pro- duction model evolved from the Mystère 20 that was cus- tom tailored to the U.S. market. On May 4, 1963, Lindbergh meticulously examined the Mystère 20 prototype for several hours at Mérignac. Not long after he wired Trippe, “I found our bird!” M. Dassault quickly agreed to alter the Mystère 20 to meet Pan Am’s requirements, swapping out the JT12 tur- bojets for 4,125-pound thrust GE CF700-2Cs, business aviation’s first turbofan engines, increasing wingspan and boosting internal fuel capacity to extend range to 1,500 nm, and fitting the undercarriage with dual wheels. Dassault’s engineers and market research team dou- bled down on their resistance to the Pan Am version of the Mystère 20. However, the fate of the Mystère 20 would not be decided by committee. M. Dassault vetoed all the nay votes, pressing ahead with the production ver- sion, and carried the day. Trippe placed a firm order for 40 aircraft with 120 options. With the Pan Am contract in hand, Dassault had the financial wherewithal to launch the program. The name Mystère seemed a bit too mysterious for the North American market, so James B. Taylor, Pan Am Business Jet Division (BJD) vice president and gener- al manager, relabeled it Fan Jet Falcon, later changing it simply to Falcon 20. The French clung to the original name, so Mystère-Falcon 20 is the model designation you’ll find on the type certificates.
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Every Falcon shares DNA with Dassault’s fighter jets.
Credit the diligence and perseverance of Andrew Ponzoni, Dassault Falcon Jet’s senior manager of communications, for making this possible. After Ponzoni called dozens of operators over several weeks, he finally got the OK from Chuck Kaady in Hillsboro, Oregon. Kaady’s aircraft is a 1980 Falcon 20-F5, serial number 408, that he’s owned since late 2015 when he upgraded from a Falcon 10. Kaady’s airplane is a plum example of a “restomod,” immaculately restored and highly modified to keep it young, despite its age of 43 years. It looks like it recently rolled off the Dassault assembly line in Bordeaux, con- temporarily dressed in bright white with black and gray accents. This plum would be a peach for our video. Falcon 20s also were the largest of the legacy midsize class twins, having 24-foot long, 700-cubic-foot inte- riors providing room for eight to nine passengers and a full-width, externally serviced lavatory in the aft cabin. Kaady’s airplane has a four-chair club section up front and a divan with two facing chairs on the opposite side in the rear. Acoustical insulation of the era is not on par with today’s super-quiet jets. Cabin sound levels in flight invite use of noise attenuating headsets. Passengers’ own tablet computers or smartphones provide inflight enter- tainment. In the mid-1960s, the Mystère-Falcon 20 was the fastest purpose-built aircraft in corporate aviation, able to cross the U.S. with one fuel stop quicker than most airplanes could fly nonstop coast to coast. Similar to the Méditer-
ranée, the Falcon 20’s transonic wings were adapted from Dassault’s Mystère IV fighter, as were its 3,000 psi hy- draulic system, dual redundant powered flight controls, trimmable horizontal stabilizer, and speed-proportion- ate artificial control feel system. These features enabled it to boast the highest redline speeds—370 kias V MO and 0.85 M MO —as well as endowing it with arguably the nicest feel in one’s fingertips of any civil jet aircraft of the era. Kaady’s jet was converted into a Falcon 20-F5, also called a 731 Falcon 20F, in the late 1990s by the incorpo- ration of Service Bulletin 735, a mod developed jointly by Dassault in France and Garrett AiResearch in Los Ange- les in the late 1980s. The SB mod replaces the original GE CF700 engines with Honeywell (formerly AlliedSignal and Garrett) TFE731-5BR geared turbofans, virtually the same 4,750-pound thrust engines and nacelles fitted to the Falcon 900B trijet. The considerably more fuel-effi- cient 731 powerplants increase range from 1,450 to 2,450 nm while meeting Stage III airport noise limits by wide margins and reducing maintenance cost. So the 20-F5 turns more two-leg trips into nonstop missions, especial- ly when flying west to east with tailwinds. The value proposition of the 731 Falcon 20 conversion was so compelling that more than one-third of the then active Mystère-Falcon 20 corporate fleet was converted in the 1990s, according to Don Sterling, former 1960s-era Pan Am BJD Western states sales lead and later head of Garrett AiResearch’s TFE731 mod program. This aircraft also was updated with Collins Pro Line
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Fast track development: First deliveries of production versions of Mystère-Falcon 20 to Pan Am Business Jet Division occurred in July 1965, just 26 months after the Mystère 20 prototype first flew in May 1963.
4 avionics, Universal Avionics EICAS, and dual UNS- 1 FMSs, adding a digital pressurization system and modifying the overhead panel. It also was fitted with a flight-certified GTCP 36-150 APU. Final touches includ- ed a full interior redux, new paint, and brightly polished leading-edge slats. While the original invoices are long gone, it’s estimated that the total bill could have exceed- ed $6 million. Other owners frequently spent $4.5 mil- lion to $5.5 million on 731 Falcon 20 conversions, Ster- ling says. That’s impressive, considering the aircraft sold new in 1980 for about $4.5 million. Long-range cruise is 0.76 Mach, but Kaady pushes the aircraft up to 0.83 to 0.84 because hourly fuel costs are less than maintenance costs. He only slows down to 0.80 Mach on longer trips and 0.76 virtually never. Cruising at 460 to 480 knots keeps this airplane in the 21st century fast lane in spite of its advanced age. All serial number 408’s mods boost empty operating weight by 1,439 pounds and they shift CG aft by 1.4 per- cent. The empty weight increase is more than offset by a service bulletin that raises max takeoff weight from 28,660 to 30,325 pounds. That allows it to be loaded with full tanks, passengers in all nine seats and 425 pounds of baggage. Keeping the aircraft with CG limits is no prob- lem, provided it’s loaded from back to front. Sealevel, standard-day takeoff field length is 5,635 feet at such a heavy weight. When Kaady departs Hillsboro (KHIO, elevation 208 feet msl) for a 500 nm sprint to Oakland, California, with three passengers, his aircraft
only needs 3,600 feet of runway, assuming standard-day outside air temperature. Hot-and-high airports are more of a challenge. Leav- ing a 5,000-foot elevation airport at 25 degrees Celsius, maximum takeoff weight is limited to 28,000 pounds because of one-engine-inoperative climb requirements. That cuts range by as much as 700 nm. At that weight/ altitude/temperature, takeoff field length is 7,075 feet— relatively lengthy by current midsize jet standards. Kaddy says the Falcon 20-F5 is the most reliable jet he’s owned, but he’s concerned about parts availability, particularly for the -5BR engines, Universal electronic engine instruments, and landing gear. Assuming parts are available at affordable prices, Kaady plans to keep the airplane well into the future. Making my flights in Kaady’s Falcon 20-F5 even more meaningful, I flew them within three days of the 60th an- niversary of René Bigand’s first flight of the Mystère 20 prototype on May 4, 1963. To prepare for flying the aircraft, Fabio Sciacca, FlightSafety International sales lead for Europe, Mid- dle East, and Africa, provided access to FSI’s online Fal- con 20 learning library. FlightSafety’s Paris-Le Bourget learning center has the only remaining Falcon 20 simu- lator, but there was no time or budget for a trip to France for a FAR 61.55 check. Aviation 2000’s Brian Mott, CFI and FAA Falcon 20/200 designated pilot examiner, also supplied a wealth of training materials and reference documents. Most importantly, Allen Tvergyak, Kaady’s
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chief pilot and master A&P, conducted a comprehensive ground school for me at Global Aviation Hillsboro, in- cluding plenty of time in the aircraft on ground power in the hangar, so that I could learn all about this aircraft’s highly customized flight deck and upgraded systems. Belting into the seats, it’s clear that serial number 408’s flight deck combines vintage 1960s-era knobs, switches, levers, buttons, and dials with early 1990s-tech glass dis- plays that generate copious heat, even with powerful avi- onics cooling fans. The APU makes the interior comfortably warm or cool before passengers board, and it provides electrical power for engine start that conserves the batteries. Checklists are long by current standards, but Dassault’s flight deck layout talks to your fingers as you flow through the pro- cedures. It takes some time to learn the unique display logic of the triple stack of Universal EICAS screens. The Collins Pro Line 4, though, fits as comfortably as an old gym shoe because it was widely used in light and midsize jets two or three decades ago. For all three flights I flew with Tvergyak, the aircraft was fueled with only 3,000 to 4,000 pounds of kero- sene. Takeoff weights were between 22,000 and 23,000
pounds, and OATs at Hillsboro were 15 to 20 degrees Cel- sius. Using slats and flaps 10 degrees, takeoff V speeds were in the teens (plus 100), and takeoff field length was 3,400 to 3,500 feet. Once cleared for takeoff on Runway 31L, we completed the well-known Falcon FATS—flaps (and slats), air brakes (stowed), trims (set three ways), (V) speeds (set). Pushing the power levers to the stops, acceleration was sporty at such light takeoff weights. The left-side tiller is used for nose-wheel steering up to 80 kias, as there is no nose-wheel steering through the rudder pedals. At 80 kias, we cross-checked our airspeed, released the steer- ing tiller, and moved to the yoke. The rudder alone is used to control yaw above 80 knots. Rotating at 117 kias, the feeling in my fingers made me smile. This grande dame, the first honor graduate of Dassault’s famous finishing school for business jets, has an ideal blend of crisp pitch-and-roll response with just enough artificial feel heft to prevent jostling the passen- gers. I wasn’t about to share flight time with the autopi- lot. During the first flight, we flew from Hillsboro south to Eugene, Oregon (KEUG), for multiple instrument ap-
Kaady’s Falcon 20-F5 features a full glass instrument panel with Collins Pro Line 4 displays and radios and a triple stack of Universal Avionics EICAS screens, plus twin UNS-1 FMSs.
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Serial Number 408, with gleaming white paint, two-tone accent stripes and polished leading edges, was the A List superstar of our 60th Anniversary video.
proaches and pattern work, including three takeoffs and landings with some simulated, one-engine-inoperative exercises to get me requalified as second-in-command. The Falcon 20 was one of the first business jets with trailing link main landing gear, almost guaranteeing soft touchdowns. We returned to Hillsboro all too soon. I wanted to fly the aircraft until the tanks almost ran dry as it felt so sweet in my hands. V REF was only 105 knots at 20,000 pounds, owing to the full span slats and landing flaps. Landing distance was 3,400 feet. What a performer. The second day, we first flew several low-level circuits around Hillsboro Airport so that our video crew on the ramp could capture ground-to-air close-ups of the air- craft. In the afternoon we mounted cameras on the out- side of the aircraft and boarded the video crew to record Tvergyak and I up front as we flew through cumulus cloud tops. But a powerful Pacific storm with embedded thunderstorms moved into the Portland area, forcing a change of plans. We elected to fly low altitude and video
the aircraft around Astoria, Ilwaco, and the many islands near the mouth of the Columbia River. There was plenty of turbulence below the cumulo- nimbus. But the frisky weather showed off other positive traits of the aircraft. It’s quite stable in rough air, and its 68-pounds-per-square-foot wing loading softened the bumps for passengers. Back at Hillsboro, the weather had cleared. We landed, taxied back to Global Aviation’s ramp, and debriefed on camera to record what we learned about the aircraft and what it meant for Dassault’s future in business aviation. LASTING LEGACY Marcel Dassault’s nearly unilateral decision to devel- op the Falcon 20 paid off decisively for the future of the company. The ups and downs of defense contracting fre- quently have been countered by the ebbs and flows of the business jet market. The success of the Falcon 20 series spawned develop- ment of longer range, larger cabin, more capable Dassault
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Aviation business aircraft. In keeping with its low-risk, evolutionary military aircraft development programs, many of the company’s subsequent Falcon jets were ad- aptations of older models. Case in point: The 1977 3,300 nm range Falcon 50, Dassault’s first transcontinental U.S. range jet, started development as the Falcon 20-3, a trijet version of the Falcon 20 twin. It retained the Falcon 20’s 700-foot cab- in, but it incorporated updated systems, more fuel, and a supercritical airfoil to slash drag at transonic cruise speeds—a first for a production business jet. When customers asked for a Falcon with a larger cabin and trans-Atlantic range, Dassault morphed the Falcon 50 into the Falcon 900 in 1984. In the mid-1990s, Dassault created the transcontinen- tal U.S. range Falcon 2000 by shortening the Falcon 900 by 7 feet and equipping it with a new tail section fitted with two engines. Subsequent versions of Falcon 2000 helped sustain market demand with total deliveries near 700 units. Adapting technology Dassault developed for the Mirage III, the Falcon 2000 became the first business jet to feature a heads-up display (HUD). Not all Falcons are derivatives. The early 1970s Falcon 10, for instance, was a clean-sheet design. It flew like a Mystère clothed in a business suit. It was the fastest, most sophisticated, and arguably the sleekest-looking light jet of the era. But it also was the most expensive to purchase and maintain, essentially being a flying Ferrari in a market segment dominated
by fluttering Fords and Fiats. So after a 226-unit run, Dassault ceased production. Dassault’s next clean-sheet design was considerably more successful. In 2007, the Falcon 7X, known as the first business jet to be fitted with digital fly-by-wire flight controls, entered service, borrowing heavily from digital flight control technologies Dassault developed for its Mach 2 class Rafale. The Falcon 8X, a stretched, more structurally efficient and longer- range derivative of Falcon 7X, made its debut in 2016 and is gradually replacing its sibling. The recently certified Falcon 6X was the first business jet to use flaperons, trailing edge flight controls that combine flap and aileron functions, and a well-proven design feature of its military aircraft. The Falcon 10X will be the first civil aircraft to use heads-up displays as primary flight references, also adapted from the Rafale. And it will be the first business jet to have an all-composite wing, as well as being the first civil aircraft to use HUD as the primary flight displays. The next 60 years of Dassault business aircraft proved that Falcon 20 wasn’t just a new jet. It was a strategic change of course for a firm that otherwise would have been mainly a defense contractor. Had it not been for the foresight and fortitude of Marcel Dassault, business aviation never would have enjoyed six decades of Falcon jets and all the advanced technologies they brought with them. [
M. Dassault would be so proud of Falcon 2000LXS. It’s the ultimate descendant of Mystère-Falcon 20, having nearly half again the cabin volume, close to triple the range and 50% better fuel efficiency. It also uses much shorter runways.
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