THE FIRST FALCON'S FIRST FLIGHT

Marcel Dassault famously said, "for an aircraft to fly well, it must be beautiful." Already well known for the sleek Mirage fighters, Dassault, the man and the company proved the adage once again on 4 May 1963, with the first flight of the Mystère 20, the company's first business jet. With an eye toward the sizable American market, the Mystère 20 would soon be rebranded the Falcon 20.

- ATHOL FRANZ

A little after 17h00 on 4 May 1963, test pilots René Bigand and Jean Dilliare 'gave it the gas,' as one historical account recalls, taking the Falcon 20 for an inaugural one-hour flight. The flight occurred late in the day because of the visit of Charles Lindbergh, who dropped by to inspect the new business jet on behalf of Pan Am. It was only after he had departed Dassault's Mérignac final assembly plant, near Bordeaux, that the flight team readied the aircraft for flight.

Sixty years and more than 2,700 business jets later, Dassault Aviation continues the tradition of building beautiful, advanced-technology aircraft. "The formula has not changed," said Dassault Aviation's Chairman and CEO Eric Trappier. "Every Dassault aircraft must have superb handling, beautiful lines and rugged construction and, of course, it has to provide state-of-the-art comfort."

The Falcon 20 wowed some of the top aviation leaders of the time, including Charles Lindbergh, Pan Am chief executive Juan Trippe and FedEx founder Fred Smith. It went on to spawn 27 different model types that found eager buyers among entrepreneurs, government agencies and several nations' armed forces.

Its pioneering safety features, including the use of rugged fighter structures and systems, set the standard for countless future safety improvements, from head-up cockpit displays to digital flight controls, technology that subsequently became widespread across the industry.