In 1963, the Beatles were about to become "bigger that Jesus" and President Kennedy was a year away from his fateful visit to Dallas. That year also proved significant in the history of business aviation with the launch of two contenders to the title of the world's first business jet.
Dassault's claim derives from the first flight of the Falcon Mystere 20 in May 1963. The era-defining Lear Jet, the basis of Bombardier's pedigree in the sector, first flew in the same year.
While each will use the 40th anniversary as a reason for celebration here at Le Bourget, both will have to acknowledge that 2003 is more about past glories than about current success. Forty years since the first flight of the Falcon 20 and the unveiling of the Lear Jet, the sector faces its toughest challenge.
While Dassault's main focus is firmly on the future - the Falcon 2000EX is now FAA certified and the Falcon 7X will bring fly-by-wire controls to a business jet for the first time when it makes projected first flight in 2005 - it has certainly not turned its back on its past.
The Falcon 20 was the aircraft that launched the Falcon family. It was the Falcon 20 which Charles Lindbergh suggested to then-Pan Am president Juan Trippe should be selected and marketed in the US. Over the next 20 years, 476 Falcon 20s were delivered. One is on display in this year's static park.
Source: Flight Daily News
