A lifelong aviation enthusiast who joined&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;in 2007, Curt came to&nbsp;the publication&nbsp;from the broadcast industry where he was a national science and technology television reporter and producer. He writes on the FBO field, aviation finance, and sustainable aviation and occasionally contributes to&nbsp;AIN&nbsp;sister publication&nbsp;Business Jet Traveler. Curt was a member of the AINtv reporting staff that won the 2008 Aerospace Journalist of the Year award for Best Airshow Daily. That same year, he was a finalist for another AJOYA award. He earned an AJOYA for Best Business Aviation Submission in 2018 and was a finalist in that category in 2021. He received the National Air Transportation Association’s&nbsp; Aviation Journalist Award in 2012 and won a Pegasus Sapphire Business Aviation Award for outstanding journalism in 2021.
Before joining AIN, Curt worked with&nbsp;Consumer Reports’ television division, CRTV, and for several local television news staffs. An honors graduate of the State University of New York at Stony Brook, he earned a master’s degree in broadcast journalism from Boston University in 1995. Curt lives in New York State with his wife and two young sons.

Senior Editor

Curt Epstein

Speaking here at ABACE yesterday, French manufacturer Dassault said that it expects its new Falcon 8X to achieve a similar level of acceptance in the Asia Pacific region to that achieved by the 7X. China is the second-largest market for the 7X (behind the U.S.), with 35 of the long-range trijets operating. The 8X is currently undergoing flight-testing.

 


“The 7X is a big success in Asia Pacific, especially in China, and we see the 8X following the same path,” said Olivier Villa, the airframer’s senior vice president of civil aircraft. Villa provided an update on the ultra-long-range 8X, which was launched last year and made its first flight in February. The PW307D engines that will power the jet are expected to achieve certification “within days,” he said, adding that the aircraft itself is on track for EASA certification by the middle of next year, with deliveries to commence before 2017. Villa compared the 6,500-nm 8X with the Bombardier Global 6000, describing it as 40-percent lighter with 30 to 40-percent lower fuel consumption. On the completions side, Dassault has currently developed more than 30 floor plans for the trijet.

 


The 8X is not the manufacturer’s only project under development. Dassault’s Falcon 5X twinjet, which is currently undergoing ground system and structural fatigue testing, will see its rollout at the beginning of June and its first flight soon after. It promises a 5,200-nm range coupled with the “widest and tallest cabin” on the market, according to the French aircraft manufacturer.

 


The Falcon 7X, the current flagship for the manufacturer, which next year will celebrate its 100th anniversary, remains its fastest-selling model. Due to its high-altitude performance, EASA certification for operation to the world’s highest altitude commercial airport–China’s new Daocheng Yading Airport at 4,411 meters (14,472 feet) above sea level–is expected by the end of the year, Villa said.

 


With regard to sales, he noted some possible improvements after a down year. “Last year’s market had been a little bit slow in terms of new orders, but again we see good signs that the close term future is brighter,” said Villa.

 


In addition to the popularity of the 7X, the company’s Falcon 2000 family is also seeing increased interest in the region, as operators begin to move past the idea of having the largest aircraft available. “We started having great success with the 7X, but as the market gets more mature, then people look for aircraft that meet more closely their strict requirement, and the Falcon 2000–especially the 2000S and LXS–are very capable aircraft in China for flights of longer duration.”

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