It was a demonstration flight that never took off! Representatives of the French aircraft manufacturers Dassault Aviation, were here in Bombay second week of November to demonstrate their latest addition to business jets, the Falcon 900EX. However, thanks to the work-to-rule agitation by the local Air Traffic Controllers, the flight, being non-scheduled, was not cleared and what would otherwise have been a flight to Bhuj and back, turned out to be a tame affair of showing off a parked aircraft at the Bombay airport. The aircraft is worth showing off, though. Plush custom-made interiors compete with the technical superiority of the widebody trijet which can fly eight passengers in absolute comfort non-stop for 4,500 nautical miles at 39,000 feet. Jean-Claude Bouxin, Vice President Civil Aircraft Sales and Marketing, Dassault International, said that of the Falcon family, the Falcon 900EX is uniquely suited for the widest range of missions, manufactured in response to customers' expressed requirements. He said that there was an increasing demand for longer range business aircraft than that offered by Falcon 900B class aircraft. In response to the demand, the company carried out three extensive surveys of long-range business aircraft users. The surveys showed that most users would not make sufficient use of very long range capability (6,500 nm/12,000 km) to offset the heavy ownership cost and loss of operating flexibility inherent in this type of aircraft. ``About three years ago, we had introduced a very very long range (6,000 NM) aircraft costing about $40,000 million. The cost apart, customers felt they did not really need such an aircraft. Flying 14 hours non-stop would mean carrying two crews on board, which would in turn mean that more aircraft space would be occupied. So although we would be stretching the airframe, we will effectively lose out on space inside which could otherwise be used by the customer. The Falcon 900EX can in high density conditions carry upto 19 passengers. Falcon 900EX was a more practical solution bringing users, higher cruise speed and longer stage lengths. It allows transatlantic flights in both directions, or direct London-Calcutta, Tokyo-Sydney or Rome-Johannesburg flights or for that matter London-Seattle, Abu Dhabi-London, Rome-New York, Miami-Budapest or Tokyo-San Francisco. The Falcon 900EX achieves its long-distance capability without surrendering any of the hot/high or short-field performance. In short, it can operate out of more airports throughout the world than any other big jet. ``Being able to operate on very short airfields is our most distinct advantage,'' says Bouxin. ``Also, you spend less, arrive in better shape and even add to your image by flying the 900EX.'' Already over 60 Falcon 900EX jets have been sold around the world. The company has sold over 1,500 aircraft since its inception in 1965. Among them are about 100 Falcon 900A type aircraft and over 80 Falcon 900B type aircraft. Talking of competition, Bouxin says, Dassault offers the widest range of business jets to suit a variety of customers. ``The others -- like Global Express, Gulf Stream V, Boeing -- have only one or two types of business jets. We have the Falcon 20, Falcon 50EX, Falcon 2000, Falcon 900A and Falcon 900B.'' Bouxin, however, admitted that his company was not in competition with Boeing or Airbus which are operating very big aircraft as corporate jets. On the need for such expensive business jets, Bouxin says that despite the vast electronic communications network, nothing works better than a handshake where finalising deals of great importance. ``And as more and more airlines begin catering to the general air passengers, the business traveller is being neglected. You cannot really expect a big businessman to queue up at airline counters when he has an important deal to crack.'' In India, the Falcon 900EX made successful landings at the Jamnagar and Surat airfields. Dassault has had some very encouraging meetings with various Indian customers, said Bouxin, although he refused to reveal any names in particular. The growing Indian industry is an ideal potential market for their jets, feels Bouxin. The company has already opened a marketing office in Delhi. Bouxin felt that the Falcon 50EX and the Falcon 2000 would also be ideal aircraft for Indian conditions.

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