Dassault Falcon 20th

Dassault Falcon 20th
Type:	Business jet
Design country:	France
Manufacturer:	Dassault Aviation
First flight:	May 4th 1963
Commissioning:	1965
Production time:	1965-1988
Number of pieces:	508

The Dassault Falcon 20 (known as Dassault Mystère 20 outside the USA ) is a twin-engine business jet from the French manufacturer Dassault , which has found worldwide distribution.

It is a low- wing aircraft with a fuselage of circular cross-section, which contains a pressurized cabin and carries the side-mounted engines at the stern. The structure was derived from that of the Dassault Mystère IV fighter aircraft . The aircraft has a retractable nose wheel landing gear and a heavily swept vertical tail unit with a high-mounted horizontal tail unit.

development

The first investigations into this aircraft began in the 1950s, when Sud Aviation (later Aérospatiale ) and Dassault wanted to develop a new business jet together. In January 1962, Paul Déplante , Paul Chassagne and René Lemaire began construction. The first flight of the prototype (registration number F-WLKB) was carried out by test pilot René Bigand on May 4, 1963. The prototype initially had two Pratt & Whitney JT12A8 engines with a thrust of 14.7 kN each, while the General Electric CF700 was intended for series production. After the prototype had also been converted to these engines, the first flight took place on July 10, 1964. The first production aircraft (F-WMSH) took to the air for the first time on January 1, 1965. The fuselage for it had been built at Aérospatiale, while Dassault had supplied the wings.

Type certification in France and the United States was granted on June 9, 1965. The next day, Jacqueline Auriol set a speed record in the C1g class of 859.51 km / h on a closed course. On June 15, she was able to set a record over 2000 km in the same class with 819.13 km / h, also in the closed course.

The longest in service Falcon 20 achieved 35,500 flight hours in 2011.

Basic version

As early as August 2, 1963, Pan Am's newly established business jets department ordered 40 Falcon 20 planes and also booked 120 options. The aircraft was deemed fit by Charles Lindbergh , who was supposed to appraise the new model. These machines were marketed as the Fan Jet Falcon . Pan Am purchased a total of 54 machines. Most of this first series had been delivered by spring 1967, all equipped with CF700-2C engines. The production rate was up to seven machines per month. Air France ordered five aircraft that were used for pilot training. Production continued at two machines per month until 1971 and then ended.

Model c

The Falcon C continued to have CF700-2C engines. However, the fuel capacity was increased and it was possible to install an APU Microturbo Saphir I. The RAAF ordered three machines of this type, which were delivered in 1967. The Canadian Armed Forces also initially ordered seven and used them from May 1970 under the designation CC-117. In 1972 an eighth machine was added used.

Model CC

Only one Falcon CC (for cross-country ) was built for Business Jets Pty Ltd in Australia. It is the 73rd series machine. It was specially designed for use on unpaved slopes and had a chassis with low-pressure tires. The first flight took place on April 26, 1967.

Model D

A Falcon D for awareness training

The 1968 Falcon D had more powerful CF700-D2 engines than the original model and had a tank capacity of 5090 liters. The take-off weight was increased by 400 kg. Delivery of the Falcon D began in mid-1968 with the 172nd machine. A total of 56 pieces of this variant were produced.

Model E.

The Falcon E was an interim type that received more powerful engines from the CF700-2D2 variant. Compared to the Model D, both the electronics and the equipment have been improved. The tank capacity was 5090 liters. An APU Microturbo Saphir II was optionally available. 60 machines of this variant were manufactured.

Model F

Dassault Falcon 20F

Dassault Falcon 20F, side view

The Model F was presented at the Paris Aviation Salon in 1969. The engines corresponded to those of the Model E. The main changes were a further increased tank capacity and new high-lift aids , which significantly improved take-off and landing performance. They consisted of Kruger flaps on the inner wings, which reached up to the boundary layer fence , and slats on the wing outer parts. The landing flaps were only slightly modified.

Initially, a series of 25 machines was launched, which was delivered from July 1970. Compared to the prototype shown in Paris, the series aircraft had a slightly increased range, modified electronics and improved equipment. The Falcon 20 F was the first aircraft to meet the new requirements for avoiding aircraft noise in 1970 and was approved by the FAA under FAR 36. A total of 140 machines of this type were manufactured.

Technical description (model F)

The wings

The self-supporting wings have a thickness between 10.5 and 8% with a V-position of 2 ° and a setting angle of 1 ° 30 '. The sweep is 30 °. The wings are a torsion-resistant construction with a milled load-bearing surface. The design is based on the fail-safe principle. The ailerons are operated by a double hydraulic system. The operating forces for the pilot are generated artificially. There is also a hydraulically operated air brake in front of the two-part landing flaps . The wing nose is de-iced using bleed air from the engine. About halfway through the span there is a boundary layer fence that extends almost the entire length of the profile.

hull

Made of all-metal, semi-self-supporting, round cross-section with crossed longitudinal and transverse ribs. The fuselage is designed as a pressurized cabin . The door is on the left. Emergency exits are available on the right and left in the area of ​​the wings. A toilet is installed in the rear area.

Tail unit

The tail unit is self-supporting, with the horizontal tail unit about halfway up the vertical tail unit. The setting angle can be changed electrically for trimming. Rudder and elevator are operated by the doubled hydraulic system.

landing gear

The suspension struts of both the nose landing gear and the two main landing gear each carry two wheels and are hydraulically extended and retracted. The steerable nose wheel is retracted forwards, the main landing gear inwards. All bikes are equipped with disc brakes and an anti-lock braking system. The manufacturer is the Spanish branch of Messier . There is also a braking parachute on board.

equipment

There are two independent hydraulic systems with a pressure of 207 bar for actuating the control surfaces, buoyancy aids, wheel and air brakes, the landing gear and the nose wheel steering. Each engine has a hydraulic pump, the Falcon also has an electric pump for emergencies. The pressurized cabin is supplied with bleed air from the engines, the internal cabin pressure is 0.57 bar. The air conditioning is available twice. If the pressure drops, an emergency oxygen system comes into action. The electrical system with 28 V direct current is supplied by two generators attached to the engines with 9 kW power each, which also serve as starters. This includes two batteries with 400 Ah. An inverter with 1.5 kVA and two more with 0.4 kVA each are available for supplying the three-phase consumers, which deliver 118/208 V voltage at 400 Hz. An APU with 9 kW power can also be installed.

Avionics

The Falcon has two VHF / VOR systems and an ADF as standard equipment. In addition to the blind flight instrumentation , DME, ATC transponders and a receiver for the radio beacon are installed. An autopilot , weather radar and other equipment can be supplied on request .

Model ST

The Dassault Falcon ST was a school version for the system training of the Dassault Mirage IIIE . In 1970 the French Air Force initially procured two machines. They were equipped with the Mirage's radar and navigation system and also had a nose cone like this one. Later, Libya also received machines of the same design.

Model G (HU-25A)

Dassault HU-25

The Falcon 20 G was introduced in 1976. The main difference was made by the Garrett ATF3-6-2C engines with a thrust of 24.2 kN each. A thrust reverser was installed to shorten the landing distance . The range was given as 4170 km. The US Coast Guard procured the type as the HU-25A Guardian. The first flight of an aircraft of this variant took place on November 28, 1977, with the test number F-WATF as the 362nd Falcon manufactured. A total of 41 machines were procured from the US contract partner Falcon Jet Corp in Teterboro , 56% of which came from the USA. A jump hatch and two search windows were installed as specific equipment. In addition, four external load stations each were attached below the fuselage and the wings . One machine was completed per month, with the last aircraft in this series leaving the factory in December 1983. This version was not used for civil purposes.

HU-25B

A number of HU-25A were equipped with the incorporation of a Motorola APS-131 Side-Looking Airborne Radar (SLAR), a Texas Instruments RS-18C, and a television camera to detect a laser-illuminated target to detect and document pollution as well as the Identify the polluter. This variant was given the designation HU-25B.

HU-25C

The HU-25C was to be used to track down smugglers operating with ships or aircraft. A Westinghouse APG-66 radar and a Texas Instruments WF-360 - FLIR were installed for this purpose. In order to be able to monitor the radio traffic better, radio systems for all frequency bands were installed. A total of eight machines were converted to the status of the HU-25C.

Falcon 200

At the Paris Air Show in 1979, a civilian version with Garrett ATF3-6A-4C turbofans was presented, which was named Dassault Falcon 200. Originally the name was supposed to be Falcon 20H.

In order to accelerate the development, a Falcon 20F was equipped with additional fuselage tanks while retaining the CF700 engines and thus flew for the first time on April 24, 1979 with the registration F-WZAH.

The first flight with the new engines and the increased tank capacity took place on April 30, 1980. In addition to the installation of the other engines, the fuselage-wing transition and some equipment details were changed. This version received type certification in June 1981 and remained in production until 1988, while construction of the Falcon 20 was discontinued in 1983.

Falcon Guardian

Based on the Falcon 200 and the HU-25A, Dassault developed a marine reconnaissance variant for the French Navy . Five machines were initially ordered to replace the Lockheed P-2 H Neptune in the Pacific.

Compared to the civilian variant, the avionics had been significantly expanded. Because of the long distances across the sea, the navigation systems in particular were improved by installing an OMEGA receiver, for example . A Varan system based on the Breguet Atlantic's Iguane radar was used as radar . Four under wing stations were installed for the external loads. In the area of ​​the central aisle, a waste flap was installed.

The crew consisted of up to ten people: two pilots, a navigator, a radar observer and two observers at the observation windows, whose seats could be rotated through 360 °. There were also seats for four passengers arranged across the direction of flight. The machines can also be converted to medical, passenger or VIP aircraft. The Guardian 2 version also had the ability to fire Exocet missiles. The OMEGA navigation has now been replaced by a GPS device.

Cargo

Under the direction of Pan Am Business Jets, Rock Airmotive built a special cargo version that made its maiden flight on March 28, 1972. Federal Express initially ordered three machines and expanded its fleet to 32 units by 1980, using Falcon D. The cargo planes were given the type designation Falcon 20DC. In principle, every Falcon 20 can be converted in this way.

The main change was the replacement of the entrance door with a hydraulically operated cargo door 1.88 m wide and 1.44 m high, which opens upwards. The cabin floor has been completely replaced by a sandwich honeycomb core structure that is completely flat and measures 7.01 m in length and 1.62 m in width, resulting in a usable cabin volume of around 15 m³. Floor rollers could be installed on request. The floor could withstand loads of up to 488 kg / m². There were numerous eyelets for securing the load . Another feature was an automatic weighing system supplied by Honeywell . This enabled compliance with the permissible center of gravity and weight limits to be checked. The avionics were supplemented by a flight director and an autopilot from Collins .

Versions not executed

In 1971 it was announced that a stretched version Falcon 20 T was planned for use as a feeder aircraft. However, the project did not get beyond the construction of a dummy. With a slightly larger span and length, 26 passengers should have been accommodated in a cabin with a larger diameter.

After the end of production

With the introduction of the Garrett TFE731, Allied Signal offered the conversion of older Falcon 20s to the more modern engines. Within this program, more than 100 machines were equipped with the TFE731-5AR or TFE731-5BR, which generate 21.1 kN of thrust. The offer expired with the sale of the last conversion kits in early 2005. The Dassault-Falcon 20/200 series is with 476 built Falcon 20 and 38 Falcon 200 the most successful business jet aircraft to date, which also largely applies to the military sector.

Customers

The vast majority of Falcon 20/200 went to private operators, some of whom still use the aircraft today. The German Aerospace Center operates a Dassault Falcon 20 E as a test and measurement aircraft at the Oberpfaffenhofen location .

In addition, aircraft of the type were in government or military service in the following countries (as of October 2000):

country	Falcon 20C	Falcon 20D	Falcon 20E	Falcon 20F	Falcon HU-25
Liberia	-		1	-
Libya	1	-
Morocco	-	2	-
Sudan	-			1	-
Indonesia	-			1	-
Pakistan	-		1	-
Belgium	-		2	-
France	9	-	5	4th	-
Norway	2	-
Portugal	-	1	-
Spain	-		1	1	-
Peru	-			1	-
Venezuela	1	2	-	1	-
Egypt	1		2	-
Iran	2		6th	4th	-
Syria	2			-
United States	-				41

In addition, Algeria, Australia, Canada, the Central African Republic, Chile, Djibouti, Guinea, the Ivory Coast, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman and South Africa had machines of this type in operation at times.

A total of 35 machines were lost in accidents by January 2006, with 60 people losing their lives.

Technical data (Falcon 20F)

Characteristics	Falcon 20F	Falcon 200
Engine	2 General Electric CF700-2D2 - Turbojettriebwerke with 20 kN thrust	2 Garrett ATF3-6A4C - turbofan engines , each with 23.1 kN thrust
Top speed	863 km / h	870 km / h
Cruising speed	780 km / h
Stall speed	152 km / h
Range	3300 km	4650 km
Empty weight	7530 kg	8250 kg
Takeoff weight maximum	13,000 kg	14,515 kg
span	16.32 m
length	17.15 m
height	5.32 m
Wing area	41 m²
Wing extension	6.4
Gauge	3.69 m
wheelbase	5.74 m
crew	2
Passengers	up to 14, typically 10
Take-off course over a 15 m obstacle	915 m
Landing distance over a 15 m obstacle	985 m
Service ceiling	12,800 m	13,715 m (45,000 feet)

literature

• Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1971/72 and 1979/80
• Airborne Retrofit & Modernization Forecast 10/2000
• Dassault Archive
• Aviation Safety Network

Web links

Commons : Dassault Falcon 20  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Commons : Dassault Falcon 200  - collection of images, videos and audio files

• Dassault Falcon website

Individual evidence

1. ^ Falcon Guardian: Origins and Context. Dassault Aviation, accessed on July 16, 2017 (English): "Manufacturer's page"