Dassault's Falcon 6X has passed another certification milestone, with three test aircraft now flying. Pratt & Whitney Canada is in the final stages of the certification process for the 6X's PW812D engine, with all required certification testing complete. Final reviews are currently underway with Transport Canada, and certification is expected to follow shortly.

"Although our test pilot team is now centre stage, every level of our organisation, from the design office to the factory floor, deserves praise for the great progress we are making in the Falcon 6X programme and the way it is meeting all the expectations we set for it," says Dassault Aviation chairman and CEO Eric Trappier. "Once our intensive test and demonstration campaign is complete, customers will be assured of taking delivery of a mature aircraft."

Each test aircraft is currently flying two to three times a week. Test points beyond Mmo and Vmo have been completed and every aspect of flight testing from system development, aircraft performance and envelope expansion is proceeding as planned.

"The flying qualities of the 6X are truly extraordinary, even by our exacting Dassault standards. We are extremely satisfied with the way the aircraft is performing during the test campaign," says Philippe Duchateau, Dassault Aviation's chief test pilot.

Aircraft number three is equipped with a full cabin and is being used for acoustic and thermal testing, as well as evaluating cabin pressurisation and airflow for maximum passenger comfort. Its engineers are confident of achieving noise levels as low as on its Falcon 8X sister ship.

The first production aircraft, aircraft number four, is also being fitted with a full interior and will serve to demonstrate operational maturity of aircraft systems. Initial green aircraft delivery to Dassault's Little Rock, Arkansas completion facility is scheduled for early next year.

Dassault's product support organisation is in the advanced stages of preparing for the aircraft's entry into service. The 6X is scheduled to enter into service by the end of 2022. "There is still considerable test activity to be completed, as in any test campaign," says Trappier.

The 6X has end of mission approach speeds as low 109 knots and can routinely fly out of small airports with runways of 4,000 feet or less. It says the aircraft has the most advanced digital flight control system in the industry, with digital control not only of primary flight controls such as ailerons, elevators and rudder but also, for the first time, secondary flight controls like flaps, flaperons and nose wheel steering. In addition to ultra-low noise levels, the 6X will feature a cabin altitude as low as 3,900 feet at a cruise level of 41,000 feet.