From The Archives: Pilot Report - Falcon 2000S

Fred George test flies the first production "affordable" Dassault Falcon 2000S, which began test flights in February 2011 and was "slated to enter service in 2013".

Dassault want to "upstage the smaller competition with an aircraft that has considerably more cabin volume, better runway performance and a larger tanks-full payload."

The goal of the test flight was to sample the aircraft's low speed handling characteristics and airport performance capabilities. 

Accompanied by Dassault lead test pilot Jean Louis Dumas and chief pilot Philippe Deleume, George described the liftoff: "The Falcon 2000S demonstrated the wonderful handling so characteristic of Dassault designs."

Read on for more about George's flying experience of the aircraft, powered by two Pratt & Whitney 308C turbofan engines, if you're a subscriber.  You can read the pilot report in full on page 142 of the Jun. 20, 2011 issue of Aviation Week & Space Technology.

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