The Dassault Falcon 6X completed low-temperature testing, passing another milestone on the road to certification. The manufacturer expects to have the model approved by the end of this year.
During the tests, the engineering team – comprised of technicians and pilots from Dassault and engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney Canada – subjected the aircraft to temperatures as low as -37 °C (-132 °F). All tests were conducted in Iqaluit, a city located in the frigid tundra of Canada’s far north.
Carlos Brana, Dassault’s Executive Vice President of Civil Aircraft, said of the tests, «The Falcon 6X continues to impress us with its performance and reliability. The aircraft performed flawlessly even under the extreme temperatures of the Canadian North, where some of the most severe weather conditions that aircraft are subjected to during certification are found.»
He said that during the tests, the performance of the engines, the various onboard systems, and the maintenance requirements at low temperatures were analyzed. The test modality consisted of leaving the aircraft outdoors during the night and subjecting it to different start-up sequences each morning to analyze the performance of each system.
Engine and high-speed taxi tests were performed after each startup. The ground tests were followed by a flight during which the de-icing systems and flight characteristics were checked, in addition to fuel and hydraulic fluid temperature stability. The 6X endured a total of 50 hours of cold testing in the Arctic and has already accumulated about 650 flight hours in more than 220 cycles.
