FLIGHTCHECK

731 Falcon 20B

AlliedSignal’s retrofit program makes an old aircraft better than new.

Good looks, a spacious cabin and a pair of AlliedSignal TFE731-5BRs give the 731 Falcon 20B unique market appeal in the midsize aircraft market. Photo courtesy AlliedSignal

T was 10 years ago that the 731 By Clay Lacy CA) for our flightcheck along with Falcon 20B made its first flight. ATP/CFII/Helo/Sea. Gulfstream 731 Falcon 20B Retrofit Program I Since then, AlliedSignal has re- II/III/IV, Learjet series, HS125, Mgr of Marketing and Sales Don engined 103 Falcon 20-series busi- Boeing 747 and 25 misc. type Sterling, AlliedSignal Capt. Rudy ness jets with its 4750-pound thrust ratings. Bow and Stjepan Ban, the pilot for TFE731-5BR . The popu- the new owner. lar and handsome Falcon 20 now Sterling has been involved with has a new lease on life in terms of HE 20 has the Falcon 20s for 30 years. performance and Stage III compli- always been a great airplane. Additionally, he has been with the ance. Clay Lacy, Pro Pilot’s TIt has been well received by re-engining program since it was flightcheck pilot, recently had the customers and is also a good look- started 12 years ago and is very opportunity to fly a 731 Falcon ing airplane with just the right pro- knowledgeable about the Falcon 20B. He reports his impressions of portions. The Falcon 20 was a 20. Bow is an ex-Air Force F-104 the re-engined Falcon’s handling superb candidate for re-engining pilot who worked with AlliedSignal and performance characteristics and AlliedSignal’s TFE731-5BR on the TFE731 certification pro- and offers some insights as to the retrofit program has certainly been gram. Ban, chief pilot for the wisdom of investing millions of a success. Amsterdam-based owner, was pre- dollars in an airframe that may be AlliedSignal brought a customer sent to talk about his experience 10 to 30 years old. 731 Falcon 20B to VNY (Van Nuys with the program.

68 PROFESSIONAL PILOT / November 1998 hour corporate jet airframe is really nothing to worry about since most people don’t think twice about get- ting on an airline’s Boeing 747 with 50,000 hours on it. At any rate, the 731 Falcon 20B is a great airplane and AlliedSignal, with the TFE731- 5BR, has the only engine to fit the bill. The TFE731 has the right com- bination of power and low noise output and there hasn’t been a tur- bine bizjet engine that’s been more successful. Sterling considers the , Astra SP, Learjet 60, Cessna (L-R): 731 Falcon 20B Retrofit Program Mgr of Marketing and Sales Don Sterling, Pro Pilot Citation VI and GE-powered Falcon Flightcheck Pilot Clay Lacy, Capt. Stjepan Ban and AlliedSignal Capt. Rudy Bow discuss perfor- 20s competition to the 731 Falcon mance numbers during a preflight briefing at VNY (Van Nuys CA). 20B. In terms of the new-aircraft competition, the Falcon 20B offers The retrofit program engine change alone involves 15 the greatest cabin volume (700 cu weeks downtime while the entire ft), the longest range (2450 nm), the Transforming a General Electric upgrade package takes about 25 best climb rate (3820 fpm) and one CF700-2D2-engined Falcon 20F to weeks. of the most attractive fuel efficien- a AlliedSignal TFE731-5BR-pow- To create a 731 Falcon 20B, a cus- cies and balanced field lengths. ered Falcon 20B yields significant tomer brings in their Falcon 20 or performance improvements. NBAA they buy one and have the engine, Program history IFR range is almost doubled from avionics and interior upgrades 1405 nm to 2450 nm with the same accomplished at Garrett’s SPI The Falcon 20 has military roots fuel volume, noise is reduced to (Springfield IL) completion facility. with its wing, wing attachment sys- Stage III levels and you can cruise This work can also be done at tem and derived from 10% faster on trips up to 1445 nm. Dassault Falcon Jet LBG (Le the Mystere IV, the last Mystere The re-engined Falcon 20B also Bourget, Paris, ) and TSA fighter Dassault built before going has an improved operational flexi- Transairco GVA (Geneva, into the Mirage series. Charles bility with 46% more range from a Switzerland). Lindbergh, acting on behalf of Pan short runway (2000 nm vs. 1370 Considering the cost of a good Am World Airways, was impressed nm), 73% more range when takeoff Falcon 20 airframe—about $1.5 with the aircraft at the 1963 Paris weight is limited by maximum land- million for a standard C model and Airshow and wired ing weight (2317 nm vs. 1340 nm) up to $3 million for a late-model F Chairman Juan Trippe with a mes- and 12% shorter takeoff distance for series—the cost can be almost $9 sage that read “We have our a 1000-nm trip (4000 ft vs. 4550 ft). million with the full upgrade, which plane.” Pan Am established a busi- Rate of climb is boosted from 3330 is getting close to the price of a new ness jet division that same year, to 3820 fpm and optimum initial midsize jet. While you’re not buy- placing orders for 40 Falcon 20s cruise altitude at MTOW improves ing a new aircraft with this pro- with an option for another 120. The from 35,000 to 39,000 ft. gram, the Falcon 20 is an airplane General Electric CF700-powered Sterling explained that Allied- designed with no life limits and, Falcon 20 ultimately sold 500 Signal is primarily involved with even with a few thousand hours on copies, making it one of the most the sale of the engine retrofit and the airframe, it’s hardly broken in if successful business jets in history. thrust reversers. It is the customer’s it has been well maintained. The Falcon 20 was an incredible option on how extensive an I sincerely believe that a 10,000- airplane in the beginning and, in upgrade he or she wants to do. A full upgrade on a Falcon 20 would include the $3.78 million engine refit, Dee Howard TR5020 thrust reversers at $370,000, a Rockwell Collins Pro Line 4 EFIS panel at $1.6 million, which includes a choice of long-range nav units, TCAS II, GPWS and high-end HF unit, an AlliedSignal 36-150 APU at $300,000 and a completely new interior for another $700,000. An Photos by Grant McLaren aft baggage mod, at $47,000, pro- Lacy and Bow inspect the 731 Falcon 20B’s nosewheel gear (L) during a preflight walkaround vides an additional 30 cu ft of stor- before checking out the aircraft’s external baggage mod (R), which provides an additional 30 age area in the tailcone. The cu ft of storage capacity.

PROFESSIONAL PILOT / November 1998 69 terms of performance and fied, a customer can have styling, it’s still ahead of 90 to 103 cu ft of total many current-generation baggage area on their 731 business jets. Falcon 20B. At 700 cu ft, Sterling got involved with the cabin volume of the the AlliedSignal re-engining Falcon 20B is quite a bit program when it started in larger than the Citation X, 1987. He’s been promoting Hawker 800 or Learjet 60. the retrofit program ever One thing I didn’t like since and 103 Falcon 20s about the cabin, however, have currently been re- was the positioning of the engined. About 75% of the windows—they’re so low Falcon 20B fleet are US- that the average person based while the remainder Lacy listens to Bow explain the 731 Falcon 20B’s features, which can’t look out and see the are scattered around the include a direct vision window as well as a parking brake handle horizon. On newer series world. While there’s a good prominently positioned on the glareshield. Falcons like the 900EX, supply of GE-powered the windows have been Falcon 20 airframes on the market, The airplane I was to fly had an positioned higher. they have become more challeng- external baggage mod that provided The flightdeck was very nice and ing to find in today’s market, not to additional storage in the tailcone— well organized. This particular air- mention more expensive. large enough for three golf bags or craft had a Rockwell Collins Pro big Samsonite suitcases. Access to Line II five-tube EFIS panel. Preflight the avionics racks in the nose is However, beginning with delivery similar to the Falcon 900EX. #102, Collins Pro Line IV systems As we did our walkaround, Bow The 24-ft passenger cabin is are standard equipment in the pointed out some of the features of appealing for an aircraft of this cate- avionics upgrade package. Two fea- the Falcon 20B. The leading edges gory with a nice eight-place layout, tures I always like about Falcon have full-span slats in two sections a lav and two internal baggage flightdecks are the positioning of and the trailing-link landing gear stowage areas totaling 65 cu ft. the parking brake in the center of makes for nice smooth landings. Depending on the options speci- the glareshield and the direct-vision

RANGE CAPABILITIES • 4 passengers • NBAA IFR reserves • Long-range cruise • Sea level, 86°F

Range from a 5000-ft runway and maximum range FALCON 2OF 1370 1445

731 FALCON 20B (F) 2000 2317

From 5000-ft runway Maximum range

Range at MTOW

FALCON 2OF 1340

731 FALCON 20B (F) 2317

0 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 Range (nm)

With the retrofitted AlliedSignal TFE731-5BR engines, range is dramatically increased and DOCs are significantly lowered.

70 PROFESSIONAL PILOT / November 1998 window. Like the Falcon 900EX, the During the next takeoff, Bow cut Falcon 20’s direct-vision window an engine at V1 and the airplane can be opened at speeds of up to was easy to control but I was using up to 160 kts for smoke removal or almost full rudder at V2. Single- should you have ice buildup due to engine climbout was 1200 fpm and windshield heat failure, which is I brought the power back up at unlikely. 2000 ft and climbed to 17,500 feet on our way back to VNY. Flying Flying the Falcon 20B over the east end of Antelope Valley, we performed a couple of We taxied to VNY’s Rwy 16 at a Lacy spent an hour and a half aloft putting turns at 45° banks. weight of 23,500 lbs, which was the 731 Falcon 20B through its paces over At this point, I slowed the airplane 80% of the airplane’s 29,100-lb Southern . down for a clean . The Falcon MTOW, and an outside temperature 20 gives you plenty of aerodynamic of 92°F. At that weight, our V2 was approach speeds of 120 kts to 140 warning and, like other Falcons, it 121 kts. We took off and climbed to kts and visibility from the flightdeck does not have, need or require a FL390. While the rate of climb was is excellent. stick shaker or pusher of any kind. very good up through FL350, it Following our second touch-and- The stall characteristics of the slowed to about 500 fpm from go, Bow cut one engine at V2 and Falcon 20 are excellent—it is even FL350 to FL390. we climbed out single-engine at a more docile than a Cessna 172. We reached FL350 in 19 min but very good rate of 1100 fpm to 1200 I tried another stall to see if the it took eight more min to reach fpm at our weight of 23,000 lbs. aircraft would break. This time, FL390, where we leveled off and The airplane required heavy rudder instead of entering stall from level accelerated to Mach .75. At FL390, pressure with one engine cut but it flight, I dropped down, pulled the we had a fuel flow of 700 pph per was easily trimable with the electric nose up to a higher angle and engine. Bow explained that at trim that was located at the left rear applied more elevator input. Even FL410, cruise fuel flows get down of the pedestal. with the control wheel pulled back to 650 pph per engine. We came around again and per- to the stop, the nose wouldn’t ATC gave us a clearance down to formed a full-stop landing with a drop—it just kind of mushed. The 18,000 ft, providing a good oppor- taxi back to the active runway. I airplane seemed to have excellent tunity to try the speed brakes. The found the brakes to be very effec- slow flight and stall characteristics, Falcon 20 has no speed limitations tive. At our operating weight, we which are inherent in the original for speed brake deployment. It has really rolled along at idle power, Falcon 20 design. no turbulence penetration speed which necessitated a braking now Landing at VNY, I used the limitations but the gear extension and then to keep the aircraft’s taxi reversers without the brakes until we limit is 190 kts. For a rapid descent speed down. were very slow. We turned off at from cruise, a pilot can simply reduce the power and deploy the speed brakes. PAYLOAD RANGE • NBAA IFR reserves Deploying the speed brakes caused a very slight, but easily con- 10 2000 lbs. trollable, nose-up tendency. With the power reduced, we accelerated 9 to Mmo (Mach .88), descending at a 8 rate of more than 10,000 fpm, and Max. 731 F20B (F) Landing leveled out at 18,000 ft. We were 7 then vectored to BFL (Bakersfield Weight CA) where I set up a VFR pattern for 6 Max. Rwy 30. As the airspeed dropped Landing Weight FALCON 2OF below 190 kts, I lowered the gear 5 1000 lbs. and extended the flaps to 25°. At 160 kts, I deployed full flaps. Our 4 over-the-fence speed on this first landing was 111 kts, the aircraft 3 flared nicely and the Falcon’s train- 2 ing-link gear ensured a smooth Payload (Passengers @ 200 lbs) landing. 1 I did a touch-and-go and stood the throttles up to 12 o’clock while 0 Bow reset the flaps and trim. 500 1000 1500 2000 2500 Adding full power, we took off and Range (N. Mi.) came around for another landing with a short approach. The airplane One advantage of the 731 Falcon 20B program is that an operator can load the airplane with is very easy to maneuver at full passengers and full fuel and fly 80% farther than a Dassault Falcon 20 could.

PROFESSIONAL PILOT / November 1998 71 731 Falcon 20B Specifications

Price Complete (MIL US$) $9 to $9.5*

Powerplants (3) AlliedSignal TFE- 731-5BR turbofans Total power (SL, ISA) 4750 lb static each

Dimensions Wingspan (ft) 53.5 Length 56.3 Height 17.7 Cabin length 24.4 Width 6.1 Height 5.7 Volume (cu ft) 700 Normal seating crew/pax 2/9

Weights and loading Wing loading (lb/sq ft) 69 MTOW (lbs) 30,325 Zero fuel weight 22,500 Operating empty weight 18,320 Max payload 3800 Max fuel (lbs) 9092

Performance T/O SL/ISA @ MTOW (BFL in ft) 5400 Max rate climb (fpm) all engines 3820 one engine out 749 Certificated ceiling (ft) 42,000 Pressurization Delta P (psi) 8.5 A Collins Pro Line IV five-tube EFIS Normal cruise (KTAS) 431 panel (top) is a popular option on @ altitude 41,000 the 731 Falcon 20B upgrade menu. With its 700-cu-ft cabin volume Fuel flow (lb/hour total) 683 (above), the 20B offers the most spa- Range (nm) NBAA IFR 2215 cious airborne accommodations in its

MMO .88 class. For $3.78 million, you can put

VSO 82 a pair of 4750-lb thrust TFE731-5BRs (L) on your Falcon 20, which nearly VMO 390 doubles the range capability of the Figures supplied by AlliedSignal airplane. *price includes used Falcon 20 purchase and varies with options

taxiway 17G, which is only 4000 ft moved by push-pull rods actuating restriction to airplane operations. from the displaced threshold. The twin-barreled hydraulic servo-con- Airbrakes may be extended Dee Howard TR5020 “clam-shell” trol units. Each barrel is powered by throughout the complete flight reversers are very effective. During a different hydraulic system—the envelope. Flaps are extended 10°, the taxi, I again noticed the charac- loss of one system has no effect on 25° and 40° and are driven by teristically good ground handling flying characteristics. In the unlikely hydraulic motors through jack qualities of this aircraft although the event of total hydraulic failure, the screws. Slats are full span in two wheel for the nosewheel steering is plane can still be flown manually. sections and are extended when the a little awkward for me, which All three flight control systems have flap control is at the 10° position. required a long reach forward. artificial feel units to provide con- Each engine is fed from its respec- trol feedback and each has an elec- tive wing main tank and feeder Systems trically controlled trim system. An tank. The main tanks are pressur- electro-hydraulic yaw damper is ized by bleed air to ensure a fuel Elevator, rudder and are provided but its failure imposes no supply in the event of a single or

72 PROFESSIONAL PILOT / November 1998 multiple pump failure. Lacy and Bow flew a Hydraulic pressure is provided by number of circuits at two engine driven pumps and an BFL (Bakersfield CA) electrically driven pump is on before landing at VNY. standby for vital functions of sys- Lacy liked both the flightdeck and the tems. Pressurization and air condi- overall aircraft styling tioning are supplied by bleed air and believed that the from both engines. A pressure dif- retrofit 731 Falcon 20B ferential of 8.3 psi maintains a sea flew as good as it level cabin to 21,000 ft and an looked. 8000-ft cabin at 42,000 ft. The electrical system is a 28-volt DC system supplied by a 300-amp starter generator on each engine. An optional AlliedSignal 36-150 slots are provided by AlliedSignal. program if someone were to buy a APU can also deliver up to 300 Maintenance training involves a few Falcon 20 airframes, put them amps on the ground and inflight two-week school where mechanics in zero condition with new engines, below 30,000 ft. A 115-volt AC sys- participate in a tear down and interior and panel and then offer tem is supplied from three 750-VA rebuild of an engine. Pilot engine them off-the-shelf ready to go. static inverters. Two are used for familiarization involves three days If you do not have a Falcon 20 normal operation while the third is at AlliedSignal in Phoenix. Both and are faced with finding an air- a stand-by unit. FlightSafety and SimuFlite offer spe- craft and then arranging for the Engine intakes are anti-iced with cific Falcon 20B recurrent training upgrade, you’ve got to consider the hot bleed air from the respective and FlightSafety has two new dedi- time involved in the process. You’ll engine while wing anti-ice is cated TFE731 Falcon 20B simula- likely spend a few months finding achieved by distributing hot bleed tors—one at TEB and one at LBG. and buying an aircraft and then four air to the the wing’s leading edges. RVSM certification for the Falcon to six months for the upgrade pro- Tailplane and tailfin anti-icing are 20B is relatively straight-forward. cess, depending on how far you not necessary on the Falcon 20. The airplane we flew was the one want to go. Windshield anti-ice is electric with of the first RVSM-approved Falcon My advice would be that if you’re the three front panels automatically 20s and the approval is not a diffi- considering a 731 Falcon 20B, as controlled by two independent sys- cult or expensive procedure. In the opposed to buying a new airplane, tems and individual regulators. case of our flight test aircraft, RVSM you should consider going all the approval required new Rosemont way so that you end up with a like- Maintenance and training pitot-static tubes plus the cost of new aircraft with a zero-time air- buying service bulletins from frame, new interior and avionics. A The Falcon 20 maintenance in- Dassault, which cost about $16,000 Van Nuys-based operator did the spection program involves an A for the RVSM certification process. full job on his Falcon 20 and it’s a check at 300 hours or one year, a beautiful airplane that is just like B check at 600 hours and a C Impressions new. But if you cut corners, there is check every six years. Gear over- the possibility of spending $6 mil- haul is at 15 years and a wing I found the 731 Falcon 20B to be lion on the project and still ending plank check every even-numbered a nice flying airplane with perfor- up with the “used airplane” feel. C inspection. The airframe and mance and handling characteristics The 731 Falcon 20B is a great air- components are not life or cycle equal to any modern day aircraft in plane with a particularly strong suit limited. Flap tracks and the lead- its class. The Falcon 20 was a great in flight handling characteristics. It ing-edge extension guides are life- design and ahead of its time when it is hard to believe that the Falcon 20 time titanium assemblies with no came out. With new engines and was designed in 1963 and first went replacement requirement. avionics, the best of the Falcon into production 33 years ago. The engine warranty on a Falcon design with all the efficiency, per- Although it has been out of produc- 20B TFE731-5BR refit is no different formance and comfort of a new air- tion for some time, the AlliedSignal from buying a brand-new aircraft— craft are retained. retrofit program offers you a good- five years or 1800 hours—and a The 731 Falcon 20B upgrade as-new Falcon 20. retrofit airplane is considered a new program is one you should consider aircraft as far as MSP goes. MSP if you’re looking at buying this class Clay Lacy has more pricing on the Falcon 20B is $94 of airplane. I believe this program than 46,000 hours of per engine per hour. will appeal to current Falcon 20 flying experience in Maintenance access on the owners that are happy with the air- everything from DC-3s Falcon 20B, like other series plane. Retrofit customers can go out to B747-400s and Falcons, is easy with nice drop pan- and spend $3.78 million just on the nearly every corporate aircraft. His Van Nuys- els, a good rear access panel and a engines or they can spend $6 to $8 based Clay Lacy nose that swings out for easy avion- million and have what amounts to a Aviation is home for Lacy’s popular ics and electrical system access. whole new airplane. charter fleet, which sports everything Two maintenance and pilot training I also see good potential for this from Learjet 24s up through a GII-SP

PROFESSIONAL PILOT / November 1998 73 and .

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