Matt Thurber, editor-in-chief at AIN Media Group, has been flying since 1975 and writing about aviation since 1978 and now has the best job in the world, running editorial operations for Aviation International News, Business Jet Traveler, and FutureFlight.aero. In addition to working as an A&amp;P mechanic on everything from Piper Cubs to turboprops, Matt taught flying at his father’s flight school in Plymouth, Mass., in the early 1980s, flew for an aircraft owner/pilot, and for two summer seasons hunted swordfish near the George’s Banks off the East Coast from a Piper Super Cub. An ATP certificated fixed-wing pilot and CFII and commercial helicopter pilot, Matt is type-rated in the Citation 500 and Gulfstream V/550. Based in the Pacific Northwest, Matt and his team cover the entire aviation scene including business aircraft, helicopters, avionics, safety, manufacturing, charter, fractionals, technology, air transport, advanced air mobility, defense, and other subjects of interest to AIN, BJT, and FutureFlight readers.

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Matt Thurber

Dassault’s business jets have always been popular in the Middle East, but the latest models with even wider cabins are generating more interest among potential buyers, according to Carlos Brana, the French manufacturer’s executive v-p for civil aircraft. The company brought two airplanes to the MEBAA show—a Falcon 8X and 6X, the newest and largest airplane in the company's lineup.
While its 5,500-nm range is about 1,000 nm less than that of the 8X, the 6X’s larger and wider cabin cross-section is appealing while still being able to make Middle East to Europe flights with ease. “For people who want to go very comfortably and far, the 8X is the right solution,” he explained, and it can fly 6,450 nm while operating from relatively short runways.&nbsp;
The 6X has the largest cabin cross-section of any purpose-built business jet, with a height of 1.98 meters (6 feet 6 inches) and width of 2.58 meters. Cabin volume is 52.2 cubic meters (1,843 cu ft).
A 6X has already been delivered to a Middle East customer and more are on the way. “It’s an important market for us,” Brana said, “with usually between 10% to 15% of sales there, depending on the year. They represent a good part of our clientele.”
One of the newest features in Falcons is the Honeywell Primus Epic-based EASy IV avionics suite, which will be featured in the upcoming Falcon 10X and is now standard in the 8X. EASy IV is also available as a retrofit for in-service 8X and 7X jets.&nbsp;
A key attribute of the new avionics is improved controller-pilot datalink communications performance with enhanced access to the European ATN B1 network and the U.S. en route datalink service. Honeywell has also added 2D and 3D airport moving maps (AMM). The 2D AMM are viewable on the multifunction display and 3D AMM on the primary flight display and they depict hot spots, runway hold-short lines, and taxiway signage.
In addition, the new cockpit display of traffic information gives pilots a clear view of airborne and ground traffic from ADS-B data along with their call signs, heading, speed vector, and wake turbulence category. Landing performance data is improved and takes into account runway condition reports, use of thrust reversers, and safety factors. Another added feature is Honeywell’s runway overrun awareness and alerting system, which warns pilots about conditions that could cause a runway excursion.
When the 7X is upgraded to EASy IV, it gains some features that were previously available on the 8X such as a next-generation flight management system, autothrottle with one-engine-out capability, RNP AR approach capability, and Honeywell’s digital RDR 7000 weather radar.
For passengers and pilots, Dassault is developing a supplemental type certificate for installation of SpaceX’s Starlink satellite communication system on the 8X. “That will come early next year,” according to Brana. “We’re studying other STCs [on the other models] to see how we can implement those.”&nbsp;
The next jet in the Dassault lineup is the 10X, and its cabin is even larger than the 6X’s, at 2.03 meters high and 2.77 meters wide and with a volume of 78.7 cubic meters. With an NBAA IFR range of 7,500 nm (eight passengers and four crew), the eventual Dassault flagship is expected to enter service in 2027.
“The 10X will be a great solution for our customers,” Brana said. “We think we have a good potential [here in the Middle East] and we are talking a lot with prospects. The fact that we came to MEBAA is very important.”

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