FALCON 900

The Falcon 900 was Dassault’s first foray into the heavy-iron private jet market.  This is not to say that Dassault is an inexperienced company, by any means – their jets are known for having high standards of engineering, structural quality, and technological advancement – but the Falcon 900 was a step beyond where they had gone before.

The cabin of the Falcon 900 is huge.  It is 6.2 feet high, 7.7 feet wide, 39 feet long (not including the cockpit), and has a total volume of 1,267 cubic feet.  Standard seating is between eight and twelve passengers in a double-club configuration with a three-person divan.  Two seats can be reclined and combined to make a full-length bed.  Otherwise all of the seats are fully adjustable, can move along a track, swivel, recline, and everything else a seat could feasibly do.  Console tables come standard, and there is room for virtually any piece of equipment – computer, copier, scanner, TV, desk, and so on. Even with the tables and seats, there is plenty of room to walk around the cabin.

The full-sized galley can be configured with equipment for hot meal preparation, including a high-temperature oven, microwave and the ubiquitous coffee maker.  There are many interior configuration options, from wheelchair access to partitioned rooms.  These separate rooms have been used to create a private office (with a full-sized desk) or a bedroom (with a queen-sized bed).  The aft baggage compartment, which holds 127 cubic feet of baggage, is pressurized and air conditioned, and can be accessed in-flight.  Sound levels within the cabin are very low, and temperature distribution is even throughout all parts of the cabin.

The Falcon 900 can take off in 5,300 feet at sea level (or  at 8,095 feet at an altitude of 5,000 feet and a temperature of 77°F) due in part to its three (not two) Honeywell  TFE731-5AR-1C engines.  They are flat-rated to 4,500 pounds of thrust apiece.  The Falcon 900’s short runway performance is also attributable to its very light, tough frame.  It is made of titanium, Kevlar, and carbon fiber composites, all of which are very lightweight but sturdy materials that allow the Falcon to do what much heavier private jets with more powerful engines can.

The Falcon 900 can fly a long-range mission of 4,940 miles (4,300 nautical miles) at .75 Mach, or a 4,480 mile (3,900 nautical miles) high-speed trip at .85 Mach.  Its maximum range is 5,180 miles (4,500 nautical miles).  It can cruise at altitudes as high as 51,000 feet and is rated to 9.3 psi, meaning it can maintain a sea level cabin at 25,300 feet.

Dassault opted for a Rockwell/Collins avionics system.  The system comes standard with dual Honeywell/Sperry WR-800 Flight Management System (FMS), Inertial Reference System, and Air-Data systems.  A Smiths standard magnetic compass, emergency attitude gyro and dual Baker M-1045 audio systems also come standard.

No matter how you look at it, the Dassault Falcon 900 is an impressive private jet.  With ranges of over 5,000 miles, an incredibly comfortable cabin, and an innovative three-engine configuration, it is an enviable private jet.  It is ideal for transoceanic and transcontinental trips and offers great versatility in flight planning.