Dassault Aviation

The history of a passion

The Falcon range owes a great debt to the intuition and genius of Marcel Dassault. Since the early 1960s Dassault Aviation has been a major presence in the huge global market for business aircraft.

On 4 May 1963 a delegation from the US airline Pan Am arrived at the Dassault factory at Martignas, near Bordeaux. The airline was looking for a business aircraft for its customers and wanted to know more about a prototype the French manufacturer had built. One of the American delegation was Charles Lindbergh, the most celebrated aviator of his time. The famous visitor was immediately attracted by the elegance and quality of the new aircraft.

A few hours later, he telegraphed Pan Am’s president Juan Trippe with the legendary words “I’ve found our bird”. It was the beginning of an industrial success story, which continues to this day. The reliability, strength and multi-role ability of Falcon jets have made them a reference point in the world of business aircraft. Almost 1,500 Falcons are in service today in more than 60 countries, with more than 10 million flight hours accumulated.

The arrival of the Falcon 7X, along with major innovations such as the EASy cockpit and fly-by-wire flight control system – the first in a business jet – heralded a new era in business travel.

Vadim Feldzer and Luc Berger

www.dassault-aviation.com