Aviation News Item: 09589

11th Jun 2010

Source: ubmaviationnews.com

The FAA and EASA have approved Dassault to equip Falcon 2000EX series aircraft with an autobrake system. The French OEM said that the system had been specially designed for short runways and would reduce landing roll distances by as much as 150ft (45m) on normal approaches and 300ft (90m) on steep approaches. The system has been tested at London City Airport. "It is like landing with the brake pedals pushed forward," said Philippe Deleume, Dassault's chief test pilot. "Braking begins as soon as the main landing gear touches down while the nose gear is still off the ground, which is 1 to 1.2 seconds earlier than with the normal procedure. As soon as the pilot pushes the pedals on the ground, the autobrake disengages and the pilot brakes normally. Passengers will feel the same deceleration (0.4g) as in a conventional high performance landing." The autobrake will be included in standard production aircraft and be available as a retrofit for all 2000EX model series. The modifications include the installation of two circuit boards, one for each Braking System Control Unit (BSCU), a push button in the cockpit, and wiring modifications.

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