STAR WARS CANYON CALIFORNIA
The return of the Falcon
Dassault excited aviation enthusiasts when this Falcon 8X swept down a California canyon. Words: Yves Le Marquand
IT’S NOT THE first Falcon we’ve seen in Star Wars, but it’s definitely the first business jet.
No, not the Millennium Falcon escaping the Death Star, piloted by Han Solo and Chewbacca. This is a Dassault Falcon 8X cruising through Star Wars Canyon, California with senior captain, Nick Linehan at the controls.
Linehan called it a lifelong dream to fly low-level through the canyon (officially known as Rainbow Canyon) in the 8X. “We got to the canyon edge and after that first run, we just flew it, no autopilot, no autothrottles, we just flew,” he said.
Dassault chief pilot, Franco Nese, who sat in the left seat for the flight, added: “When you’re lower to your terrain, you can definitely feel that sensation of speed.”
The Star Wars Canyon mission was completed back in January and can now be seen on Dassault’s YouTube channel. However, the French OEM neither confirmed nor denied the firm’s involvement in the flight until early March 2022.
After completing the memorable mission in California, Dassault’s CEO of Aerospace Operations, Scott Glaser called the canyon “a mecca of aviation”.
STAR WARS CANYON CALIFORNIA
The return of the Falcon
Dassault excited aviation enthusiasts when this Falcon 8X swept down a California canyon. Words: Yves Le Marquand
IT’S NOT THE first Falcon we’ve seen in Star Wars, but it’s definitely the first business jet.
No, not the Millennium Falcon escaping the Death Star, piloted by Han Solo and Chewbacca. This is a Dassault Falcon 8X cruising through Star Wars Canyon, California with senior captain, Nick Linehan at the controls.
Linehan called it a lifelong dream to fly low-level through the canyon (officially known as Rainbow Canyon) in the 8X. “We got to the canyon edge and after that first run, we just flew it, no autopilot, no autothrottles, we just flew,” he said.
Dassault chief pilot, Franco Nese, who sat in the left seat for the flight, added: “When you’re lower to your terrain, you can definitely feel that sensation of speed.”
The Star Wars Canyon mission was completed back in January and can now be seen on Dassault’s YouTube channel. However, the French OEM neither confirmed nor denied the firm’s involvement in the flight until early March 2022.
After completing the memorable mission in California, Dassault’s CEO of Aerospace Operations, Scott Glaser called the canyon “a mecca of aviation”.
