Flying Oshkosh to San Diego in a
Dassault Falcon 10
Dassault Falcon 10
My return flight from
AirVenture was a terrific learning experience.
By Pia Bergqvist /
Published: Aug 02, 2012
Related Tags: AirVenture, Dassault Falcon, Falcon 10, John and Martha King, King Schools
Wittman Field, Oshkosh, Wisconsin |
Last week’s AirVenture air
show in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, was a big treat. As I’ve come to expect after years
of attending, the show was filled with new exciting aviation products and every
imaginable airplane type. And there was plenty of opportunity to learn new
things at the forums and seminars. As I’ve also come to expect, the week
presented the usual range of weather conditions, from extreme heat to a pretty
intense thunderstorm that flipped at least one airplane and damaged several
signs and tents. I had the pleasure of being stuck in a Port-O-Let – a sizable
restroom trailer - for about 15 minutes while the storm raged outside.
It was a
great week, and while I was sad to leave I was excited about the mode of
transportation for my return. I was flying back with John and Martha King in
their Dassault Falcon 10. Our Saturday morning departure out of Appleton’s
Outagamie County Regional Airport presented deep blue, mostly clear skies.
We were a
total of six people in the airplane that day, and having spent the better part
of the week at Oshkosh, we all had heavy bags. Yet even with full fuel, we
apparently had the capability of adding an additional 2,740 lbs of people and
stuff to the airplane. This is one of those rare airplane types that allow you
to fill the seats and cargo areas without being maxed out on weight.
Martha and John King with Pia Bergqvist in the Falcon |
As John
walked me around the airplane, he explained that, at Mach 0.87, the Falcon 10
is the second fastest business jet after the Cessna Citation X (once it
achieves full certification, the Gulfstream 650 will be even faster than
the X). In addition to the powerful Garret turbo-fan engines, the severe sweep
of the wings and vertical stabilizer of the Falcon 10 help with its high-speed
capability. Another factor that aids the speed is that the wings are very thin,
but with the leading-edge slats and up to 52 degrees of flaps deployed, the
resulting curve of the wing enable benign approach speeds, John explained.
With the
airplane’s range capability, we could have made it from Appleton to San Diego
in one leg, but the Kings decided to split up the legs to give their senior
vice president of marketing and technology Barry Knutilla, who is also typed in
the airplane, a leg as well.
I was in the side-facing
seat right behind the cockpit to get a good look view during the departure. I
was impressed with the professional communications between Martha and John in
the cockpit as they briefed the departure and made sure the airplane was
configured properly. As we taxied near the approach end of the runway, Fifi (the
B-29 Super Fortress bomber) came in for a perfect three-point landing – a last
indication that we were leaving the Mecca of aviation.
We were
cleared for takeoff and Martha pushed the throttles forward to spool up the
Garrett engines. The power was impressive and I had to hang on to my seat
during the ground roll so that I wouldn’t slide too far aft against the
seatbelt.
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Generally
below 10,000 feet the airspeed is kept at 250 knots indicated in the climb, but
with all the AirVenture traffic in the area the Kings wanted to get high as
fast as possible, so Martha initially targeted 200 knots and the Falcon
responded by climbing at nearly 6,000 fpm. Above 10,000 feet, we were at 300
knots indicated. At 20,000 feet we were still climbing at 2,500 fpm with a true
airspeed of 430 knots, and this was a warm summer morning with ISA+15!
Our final
altitude was FL340. We were cruising at 505 knots (or 0.86 Mach) and made it to
Wichita in 1.5 hours. The second leg ended up being 2.5 hours. The same trip
took me two long but enjoyable days in the Cessna 170 a few years ago.
The
high-speed capability of the Falcon 10 was truly impressive, but I was shocked
to learn that the approach speed is about on par with many piston twins.
Martha’s targeted speed for the approach was 106 knots and this slow speed
capability enables the Kings to land their Falcon at Montgomery Field (KMYF),
which has an available landing distance of about 3,400 feet with the displaced
threshold on Runway 28R.
Flying
back from Oshkosh with the Kings was a treat, not only because the flight was
efficient and comfortable, but also because I was flying with people who are
friends and kindred spirits. And, as would be expected while flying with a
couple of legendary pilot educators, I learned a ton from the flight.
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