Special Conditions: Dassault Aviation Model Falcon 10X Airplane; Limit Pilot Forces

[Federal Register Volume 90, Number 161 (Friday, August 22, 2025)] [Rules and Regulations] [Pages 40957-40958] From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov] [FR Doc No: 2025-16081]

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Federal Register / Vol. 90, No. 161 / Friday, August 22, 2025 / Rules and Regulations

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DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION

Federal Aviation Administration

14 CFR Part 25

[Docket No. FAA-2025-1293; Special Conditions No. 25-881-SC]

Special Conditions: Dassault Aviation Model Falcon 10X Airplane; Limit Pilot Forces

AGENCY: Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), DOT.

ACTION: Final special conditions; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: These special conditions are issued for the Dassault Aviation Falcon Model 10X series airplanes. These airplanes will have a novel or unusual design feature when compared to the state of technology envisioned in the airworthiness standards for transport-category airplanes. This design feature is an electronic flight control system with a side stick controller instead of a conventional control column and wheel. This kind of controller is designed for one hand only operation. The applicable airworthiness regulations do not contain adequate or appropriate safety standards for this design feature. These special conditions contain the additional safety standards that the Administrator considers necessary to establish a level of safety equivalent to that established by the existing airworthiness standards.

DATES: This action is effective on Dassault Aviation on August 22, 2025. Send comments on or before October 6, 2025.

ADDRESSES: Send comments identified by Docket No. FAA-2025-1293 using any of the following methods: Federal e-Regulations Portal: Go to www.regulations.gov and follow the online instructions for sending your comments electronically. Mail: Send comments to Docket Operations, M-30, U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Room W12-140, West Building Ground Floor, Washington, DC, 20590-0001. Hand Delivery or Courier: Take comments to Docket Operations in Room W12-140 of the West Building Ground Floor at 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays. Fax: Fax comments to Docket Operations at 202-493-2251. Docket: Background documents or comments received may be read at www.regulations.gov at any time. Follow the online instructions for accessing the docket or go to Docket Operations in Room W12-140 of the West Building Ground Floor at 1200 New Jersey Avenue SE, Washington, DC, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except Federal holidays.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Todd Martin, Airframe Section, AIR- 622, Technical Policy Branch, Policy and Standards Division, Aircraft Certification Service, Federal Aviation Administration, 2200 S 216th St., Des Moines, WA 98198; telephone phone no. 206-231-3210; email, [email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The substance of these special conditions has been published in the Federal Register for public comment in several prior instances with no substantive comments received. Therefore, the FAA finds, pursuant to 14 CFR 11.38(b), that new comments are unlikely, and notice and comment prior to this publication are unnecessary.

Privacy

Except for Confidential Business Information (CBI) as described in the following paragraph, and other information as described in 14 CFR 11.35, the FAA will post all comments received without change to www.regulations.gov, including any personal information you provide. The FAA will also post a report summarizing each substantive verbal contact received about these special conditions.

Confidential Business Information

Confidential Business Information (CBI) is commercial or financial information that is both customarily and treated as private by its owner. Under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (5 U.S.C. 552), CBI is exempt from public disclosure. If your comments responsive to these special conditions contain commercial or financial information that is customarily treated as private, that you treat as private, and that is relevant or responsive to these special conditions, it is important that you clearly designate the submitted comments as CBI. Please mark each page of your submission containing CBI as ``PROPIN.'' The FAA will treat such marked submissions as confidential under the FOIA, and the indicated comments will not be placed in the public docket of these proposed special conditions. Send submissions containing CBI to the individual listed in the For Further Information Contact section above. Comments the FAA receives, which are not specifically designated as CBI, will be placed in the public docket for these proposed special conditions.

Comments Invited

The FAA invites interested people to take part in this rulemaking by sending written comments, data, or views. The most helpful comments reference a specific portion of the special conditions, explain the reason for any recommended change, and include supporting data. The FAA will consider all comments received by the closing date for comments. The FAA may change these special conditions based on the comments received.

Background

On September 11, 2019, Dassault Aviation applied for a new type certificate for its Falcon 10X model. Dassault Aviation filed for an extension of this application date to December 18, 2023. The Dassault Model Falcon 10X is a twin-engine, transport-category airplane with a maximum passenger seating for 19 passengers and a maximum takeoff weight of 110,000 pounds.

Type Certification Basis

Under the provisions of title 14, Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) 21.17, Dassault Aviation must show that the Model Falcon 10X series airplanes meet the applicable provisions of 14 CFR part 25. If the Administrator finds that the applicable airworthiness regulations (e.g., 14 CFR part 25) do not contain adequate or appropriate safety standards for the Dassault Aviation Falcon 10X

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model airplane because of a novel or unusual design feature, special conditions are prescribed under the provisions of Sec. 21.16. Special conditions are initially applicable to the model for which they are issued. Should the type certificate for that model be amended later to include any other model that incorporates the same novel or unusual design feature, these special conditions would also apply to the other model under Sec. 21.101. In addition to the applicable airworthiness regulations and special conditions, the Dassault Aviation Model Falcon 10X series airplanes must comply with the exhaust-emission requirements of 14 CFR part 34, and the noise-certification requirements of 14 CFR part 36. The FAA issues special conditions, as defined in Sec. 11.19, in accordance with Sec. 11.38, and they become part of the type certification basis under Sec. 21.17(a)(2).

Novel or Unusual Design Features

The Dassault Aviation Model Falcon 10X series airplanes will incorporate the following novel or unusual design feature: The Dassault Aviation Falcon 10X model is equipped with an electronic flight control system that utilizes a side stick controller instead of a conventional control column and wheel. This kind of controller is designed for one hand only operation.

Discussion

The requirements of Sec. 25.397(c), which define limit pilot forces and torques for conventional wheel or stick controls, are not adequate for a side stick controller. Current regulations reference pilot effort loads for the cockpit pitch and roll controls that are based on a two-handed effort. Pilot forces are applied to side stick controllers with only the wrist, not arms. Therefore, special conditions are necessary to specify the appropriate loading conditions for this kind of controller. These special conditions contain the additional safety standards that the Administrator considers necessary to establish a level of safety equivalent to that established by the existing airworthiness standards.

Applicability

As discussed above, these special conditions are applicable to the Dassault Aviation Model Falcon 10X series airplanes. Should Dassault Aviation apply later for a change to the type certificate to include another model incorporating the same novel or unusual design feature, these special conditions would apply to that model as well.

Conclusion

This action affects only a certain novel or unusual design feature on Model Falcon 10X series airplanes. It is not a rule of general applicability.

List of Subjects in 14 CFR Part 25

Aircraft, Aviation safety, Reporting and recordkeeping requirements.

Authority Citation

The authority citation for these special conditions is as follows:

Authority: 49 U.S.C. 106(f), 106(g), 40113, 44701, 44702, and 44704.

The Special Conditions

Accordingly, pursuant to the authority delegated to me by the Administrator, the following special conditions are issued, in lieu of the aileron-control and elevator-control forces specified in Sec. 25.397(c), as part of the type certification basis for Dassault Aviation Model Falcon 10X series airplanes. For Dassault Aviation Model Falcon 10X series airplanes equipped with side-stick controls designed for forces to be applied by one wrist and not arms, the limit pilot forces are as follows. 1. For all components between and including the side-stick control- assembly handle and its control stops:

------------------------------------------------------------------------ Pitch Roll ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Nose up, 200 lbs. force................... Nose left, 100 lbs. force. Nose down, 200 lbs. force................. Nose right, 100 lbs. force. ------------------------------------------------------------------------

2. For all other components of the side-stick control assembly, but excluding the internal components of the electrical sensor assemblies, to avoid damage to the control system as the result of an in-flight jam:

------------------------------------------------------------------------ Pitch Roll ------------------------------------------------------------------------ Nose up, 125 lbs. force................... Nose left, 50 lbs. force. Nose down, 125 lbs. force................. Nose right, 50 lbs. force. ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Issued in Kansas City, Missouri, on August 19, 2025. Patrick R. Mullen, Manager, Technical Policy Branch, Policy and Standards Division, Aircraft Certification Service. [FR Doc. 2025-16081 Filed 8-21-25; 8:45 am] BILLING CODE 4910-13-P