Overview

The Dassault Falcon 50 is a three-engine long-range business jet, first flown in 1976 and certificated in 1979. It was Dassault’s first purpose-built intercontinental Falcon and the first civil aircraft to fly a supercritical wing, pairing transatlantic reach with the trijet layout that became the family signature. Three Honeywell (originally Garrett) TFE731-3 turbofans feed through a center S-duct in the tail, giving the redundancy of a third engine on long overwater legs while keeping a midsize cabin cross-section. The dominant production form, about 252 of the 352 built, carries the TFE731-3-1C, certificates to 49,000 ft (serial 156 on), cruises near 468 knots, and flies roughly 3,000 to 3,100 nm with a typical nine-passenger cabin. The later Falcon 50EX (1996 to 2008) kept the airframe but moved to DEEC-controlled TFE731-40 engines and updated avionics, lifting range and field performance a step.

For a buyer, the Falcon 50 offers genuine transatlantic capability and three-engine reassurance at acquisition prices well below a purpose-built large-cabin jet, because the type is mature and out of production. The standing cost is operating complexity: a third engine to inspect and overhaul, and a fuel burn that reflects 1970s engine technology. Against a Cessna Citation X, the Falcon 50 concedes outright speed but answers with the overwater margin of a third engine and the field performance to use shorter runways; against a modern midsize such as the Cessna Citation Latitude, it trades current avionics and quieter, cheaper engines for longer legs and trijet redundancy at a fraction of the price. The Falcon 50 belongs with operators who cross water on a schedule and value a third engine for it; for trips that stay over land, a modern twin of similar cabin covers the same mission at a lower standing cost.

Key Features for GA Buyers

• Three-engine long-range capability. The trijet layout and supercritical wing give transatlantic range, roughly 3,000 to 3,100 nm in the base 50, with the dispatch reliability and overwater margin of a third engine, uncommon in this size class.
• Field performance for the cabin size. A sea-level balanced field length near 4,700 ft and landing distance around 2,150 ft let the Falcon 50 use airports that exclude many larger-cabin jets.
• Mature, well-supported airframe. Decades of fleet service and Dassault’s Falcon support network mean parts, training, and maintenance expertise are well established.
• High ceiling and fast cruise. A 49,000 ft ceiling (serial 156 on) clears most weather and traffic, and high-speed cruise near 468 knots keeps block times competitive.

Trade-offs

• Three engines to maintain. The center S-duct engine adds inspection, overhaul, and fuel-burn cost that twin-engine peers of similar cabin size do not carry.
• Older engine technology. The TFE731-3 is reliable but thirsty by modern standards; direct operating cost runs above newer super-midsize twins on a per-mile basis.
• Out of production. Residual values and parts pricing track an aging fleet, and pre-purchase inspection rigor matters, since early 50s differ from late EX airframes in weight, avionics, and engine standard.
• Two-crew requirement. Like its larger-cabin peers, the Falcon 50 is a two-pilot airplane, which raises crewing cost relative to owner-flown turbine singles and light jets.

See Also

• Dassault Falcon/Mystère 20 – Earlier Dassault Falcon twinjet, the original Mystère-Falcon line. Compare
• Dassault Falcon/Mystère 10 – Smaller Dassault Falcon sibling, the compact end of the family. Compare
• Cessna Citation X – Faster long-range super-midsize, but twin-engine. Compare
• Cessna Citation Latitude – Modern midsize cabin peer for buyers weighing range against newer systems. Compare
• Gulfstream G150 – Midsize long-range twinjet alternative at a similar mission profile. Compare