Tag Archives: Dassault

Falcon 50 Through the Snow

Crappy conditions are not usually what you are after when photographing aircraft but, sometimes it is what you get and you have to make the best of it.  One upside is that, if you are somewhere with a reasonable amount of traffic, you can play around with getting shots of something you weren’t necessarily focused on.  While standing in the snow waiting for the Skycourier’s arrival, I did have a Falcon 50 on approach.  I like the Falcon 50 a lot so this would normally have my attention already.  However, crummy conditions almost left me in the car.  I decided at the last minute to try it anyway.

I was really quite pleased with the patterns that the snow made around the jet as it came in.  in such bad light, the landing lights are always going to be more dominant and their ability to light up the snow flurries ahead of them can work out well.  These pictures will probably never be gracing anyone’s walls but I got a kick out of them when I went through them back at home.

What Is Experimental About This?

Dassault is developing their business jet line.  The 5X was stillborn as a result of engine supply issues but it led to the 6X which I got to see last year when it came through Boeing Field on tour.  The next jet is the 10X.  This is going to be a large cabin and long range jet to play with the Global 8000 and G800.  However, it hasn’t flown yet.  When I saw this jet at Boeing Field, I wondered what the story was.  The large graphic on the side must either relate to something else or is delusion of grandeur on the part of the owner.

A Quick Visit To LCY

I wanted to explore some parts of London that I haven’t been too much before so I headed east.  Before I started getting my real exploration underway, though, I took a visit to London City Airport.  I haven’t been there for years and things have changed a lot including the types that can access the airport.  I had seen some photos from the airport but I wasn’t sure about the options for photographing there.  I was also not timing it well with things being far busier in the early morning and late afternoon.  Still, it was worth a visit.

I headed to the east of the airfield where a road bridge crosses the water.  I was hoping that this would give a good view down the runway but the runway lights obscured things a little.  An offset helped a bit.  It also was a good location for some approach shots.

I then headed back towards the terminal and got some touchdown shots from alongside the runway as well as a few shots of jets taxiing out and departing.  It was quite something to see the Embraer E190s climbing out so quickly.  They got airborne very swiftly and climbed away like homesick angels.  The majority of traffic was British Airways Cityflyer Express so not that much variety but a few bizjets came through too.

Later in the day,when crossing the Thames in the Cable Car, I got a good view down towards the runway.  It would have been great if a jet had taken off while I was crossing but one took off just after I got back on the ground.  As I walked to the Excel center, I saw a high level footbridge that looked like it might have a good alignment with the runway.  I planned to check it out later but, having spent a long time with a friend and needing to get back, I completely forgot until it was too late.  If anyone knows whether this spot works, please let me know.

First Encounter With The Falcon 6X

One weekend I was casually looking at FlightRadar24 and saw a French registered aircraft on the ramp at Boeing Field.  It didn’t show what it was but a quick search showed it was a Falcon 6X.  This got me rather excited.  Dassault had developed a large cabin twin jet called the Falcon 5X which used an engine called the Silvercrest from Safran.  This engine had a lot of development issues and delayed the Falcon 5X a few times.  Eventually, Dassault’s patience ran out and they cancelled the jet.  They then commenced a new design based on the 5X with a new engine and the associated changes this required.  This became the Falcon 6X.

The jet is in test at the moment.  I am not sure how long it is before they expect it to be certificated but it shouldn’t be too long.  My online search showed that they were running a world tour with the jet at a time which appeared to conclude around the time of the Farnborough show so it would, no doubt, provide some good publicity.  The jet had come to Seattle from Van Nuys and it was to there where it was headed next.

I had no idea how long they were hanging around for but figured it was definitely worth a shot. I drove over to the field and, sure enough, there was the jet on the ramp at Signature near the main terminal.  I wasn’t sure how long it would be before they headed off so, after getting some shots, I headed to the other side of the field assuming a departure would come.  Sure enough, they taxied out.  Unfortunately, they didn’t use the full length and went for an intersection take off.  I decided that, since it was hot and the haze was not great, I would go with video instead.  The result is below.  They spooled up the engines for quite a while before releasing the brakes.  I guess that is what you do when you have a development jet.

Falcon 50 From Isle Of Man

They may not count as rare yet, but Falcon 50s are far from common at this point.  They have been long out of production and the owners have progressively traded up to something newer.  Consequently, when one shows up, it is a nice thing to try and catch and, if it shows up at a good time, on a reasonable day and with a non-US registration, that is even better.  This example has an Isle of Man registration.  The Isle of Man is part of the UK but is a tax haven and decided to set up its own aircraft registration system.  I guess it has been quite popular.  This jet came in to Boeing Field following is transatlantic crossing.  I don’t know where it headed next.

Do My Eyes Deceive Me?

Is what I am seeing real or is it a Mirage?  Sorry, pretty crummy pun usage.  When I was going to Nellis for Red Flag, one of the things I wanted to shoot was the Mirage F1s of Draken International.  It is a long time since I have seen an F1 – it was back when the Spanish Air Force was still flying them and they came to RIAT.  Now that Draken is using them for aggressor support services, I was keen to catch one or two of them.

As it turned out, I didn’t have to wait long.  The first time I drove up to the base, a pair of the Draken jets were recovering.  I grabbed the camera as they came in straight towards me before going over my head.  I had not set up the camera as I would have intended but just turned it on and pointed it at the jets.  Not bad luck and some of the shots came out okay.

I did get a couple more opportunities.  These were departures at the Speedway.  In one morning I had a pair of them heading out without flexing.  The camo pattern they have is the same but the colors vary.  The black and white scheme was interesting.  However, I prefer the brown scheme and the last two jets I got to shoot before I headed to the airport were F1s flexing north.  Top and tail the visit with Mirages!

Kalitta Charter Falcon 20

A Falcon 20 making an arrival on a Saturday morning when the sun is out is not something to be missed if possible.  We were heading out that day but I just had time to make the run over to BFI to get the Kalitta Charter Falcon 20 as it arrived.  The timing could hardly have been worse with the sun directly down the runway so right on the nose.  (I suppose it could have been right on the tail if the winds were the other way around so maybe not the worst situation possible.) I was able to get a couple of previous arrivals to make sure I had a good angle since I rarely shoot from that location.  Then it was get the Falcon and back in the car to do what we had planned for the day.  Not a bad result.

Falcon 20 and It’s Younger Sibling

Just before 777X WH003 returned to Boeing Field, I got a nice bonus.  Royal Air Freight has a small fleet of Falcon 20s that it uses for moving freight around the country and one was coming in to collect and maybe drop of some material.  I do like the Falcon 20.  It is definitely an older looking design at this point but it still looks pretty good.  Shortly before it lined up on approach, a Falcon 7X taxied for departure from the north end of the runway and right by me.

It then sat at the hold point while the Falcon 20 made its approach.  Having one of the newer Dassault jets sitting and waiting while one of the older Dassault creations flew in was a nice symmetry.  Once the 20 had vacated the runway, the 7X made its departure.  I assume it was going a long way since, despite using the full length, it took a while to get airborne.  The 20 taxied to the ramp opposite me where they proceeded to load it up.

Please Bring the Falcon 900 My Way

While spending a little time at Boeing Field waiting to see what would be on the move, a Falcon 900 powered up over at the FBO.  Most bizjets can taxi from that ramp down to the threshold but there is a limit on the size of aircraft than can use that taxiway to the end.  Larger jets have to cross over to our side of the runway and use the taxiway that is close to the parking lot.  I hoped that the Falcon 900 was in the class of jets that needed to do that and that they wouldn’t just do an intersection departure instead.

I got lucky and they came my way.  I prefer the look of the cockpits on the newer generation Falcons with the multi window configuration dating back to the Falcon 20 looking a little outdated but, putting that aside, the Falcon 900 is a nice looking plane.

Falcon 50s Are Getting Rarer

Dassault’s Falcon family has been getting larger both in the number of types and physically.  Now there are long range and wide bodied corporate jets available in their catalog.  Before the jets got wider, their first effort at a longer range version was the Falcon 50.  It introduced the three engine configuration which made it well suited to longer range missions in the days before twin operations over long distances were widespread.

The 50 is now rather long in the tooth so you don’t see them around so often.  That makes it all the better when one shows up.  I was heading home one evening from an event south of the city and the lovely evening light made me stop off at Boeing Field to see if I could get any shots.  Sadly, a cloud bank rolled in just before this Falcon 50 showed up.  Still, it was great to see one in action.  I was back the next day having taken a day off work and it happened to depart while I was there.  Certainly more light but a bit harsh in the middle of the day.