First flight on Falcon 8X for Eric Trappier

Eric Trappier on the Falcon 8X

Eric Trappier, Loïk Segalen and Olivier Villa took off in early April from Paris Le Bourget for Teterboro in New York on board the third Dassault Falcon 8X. This was the first time Trappier had flown on the Falcon 8X.

The Dassault Falcon 8X s/n 3 is fitted with a complete commercial interior, is one of the three aircraft dedicated to development and certification testing for the Falcon 8X.

This will be carried out during a one-month round the world tour to demonstrate its operational performance and reliability in a variety of conditions.

After New York, the other main destinations planned are Abu Dhabi, Shanghai, Singapore, London, Sao Paulo. The Falcon 8X will take the opportunity to participate in the Shanghai Air Show.

It will also make landings on airfields which are hard to access owing to their high altitude (Aspen, La Paz) or runway length (Telluride/Colorado), conduct hot/cold weather tests, a series of about ten short flights on the same day, one after the other.

A total of about 65 flights is scheduled, representing 140 flying hours and a distance of 55,000 nautical miles.

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Before his first take-off in the 8X, Eric Trappier said: “I am delighted to fly for the first time on this magnificent aircraft and to take part in a test flight during my visit to DFJ. I wish to express my full support for the Dassault Aviation teams who have developed such a remarkable aircraft.”