On the Record with
JOHN ROSANVALLON, PRESIDENT, DASSAULT FALCON JET

"Anything smaller than the Falcon 50EX won't work for the size of cabin, baggage capacity and range needed by a tycoon or a corporation," he said. Buyers worldwide seem to agree -- fully 66% of new Falcon 50EX sales are being made to customers "moving up" from smaller or less capable jets like Citations, Hawkers, Learjets, Astras and Sabreliners. More than 30 have been delivered since certification just over three years ago.

The $18 million, eight-passenger 50EX is the smallest of the current Falcon jets. Its ability to fly long distances from short or hot-and-high fields is a trademark of the three-engined Falcon family, Rosanvallon believes.

But far more useful in Asia are the $30 million-or-so big brothers to the 50EX, the Falcon 900C and 900EX. A top-of-the-line long-range 900EX is on show here at Asian Aerospace.
The widebody 900 series can carry up to 19 passengers, but they are more typically outfitted for 12 to 15. Carrying five passengers, three crew and full fuel, the 900EX is capable of flying a 4,000 nmi mission nonstop from Seletar's short (5,300 ft) runway direct to Sydney.

Rosanvallon pointed out that three engines are safer than two for flying over Asia's largely remote expanse. "And even with three engines the 900 costs less to operate than its twin engined competitors," he noted. These points have not been lost on the Royal Malaysian Air Force, which operates a Falcon 900 to transport Prime Minister Dr. Mahathir Mohamad.

Dassault claims the 900EX has now ousted the Gulfstream IVSP as the world's No.1 player in terms of sales and deliveries, excluding purchases by fractional ownership programs. "Its cabin actually offers more headroom and usable space," Rosanvallon said. Orders for the 900EX have reached 80; the first aircraft was delivered to a customer only last December.

Rosanvallon also claims the $20 million twin-engined, widebody Falcon 2000 is outselling the Bombardier Challenger 604. This is the "oldest" of the four members of the current Falcon family, having been certified in 1995. Deliveries to customers exceed 100, with the first in Asia just delivered to India for use by an associate of the Taj Group of Hotels.

"We're selling more aircraft in the categories in which we compete than either Bombardier or Gulfstream," Rosanvallon said. "For 1999 we estimate Dassault's share of worldwide orders in the $17+ million price category to be between 40% and 50%."

Although Dassault chose not to compete head-to-head in the market for ultra-long-range 6,500 nmi business jets, Rosanvallon has no regrets. Sales to date for the Bombardier Global Express and Gulfstream GV total some 255 -- not enough to support a third manufacturer, he said. Sales will probably level off at about 25 a year: "not catastrophic for two programs, but it would be for three."

Much of the time the 4,500-nmi Falcon 900EX is a direct competitor, Rosanvallon added, as the range of the globals is often restricted by their inability to take off with full fuel from shorter airfields. The 900EX can cover 9,000 nmi with just one stop -- and even the globals must land and refuel to cover that distance.

Rosanvallon claims this brings the 900EX much greater flexibility than the globals for some $10 million less, while offering more capability than the Gulfstream IV.

By John Morris