Exemption No. 9506 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION 

RENTON, WASHINGTON 98057-3356 

In the matter of the petition of 

DASSAULT AVIATION

for an exemption from § 25.813(e) of Title 14, 

Code of Federal Regulations 

Regulatory Docket No. FAA-2007-27848 

GRANT OF EXEMPTION

By letter dated March 13, 2007, Mr. G. Garrouste, Director of Certification, DASSAULT 

AVIATION, 78, quai Marcel Dassault, 92214 St Cloud Cédex - France, petitioned the Federal 

Aviation Administration (FAA) for an exemption from the requirements of § 25.813(e) of 

Title14, Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR). The proposed exemption, if granted, would 

permit relief from the requirement that prohibits the installation of interior doors between 

passenger compartments on DASSAULT AVIATION Falcon 7X airplanes that have been 

designated as not operated for hire or offered for common carriage (commonly referred to as 

“private use”). 

The petitioner requests relief from the following regulations:

Section 25.813(e), Amendment 25-46 - Prohibits installation of interior doors between 

passenger compartments. 

The petitioner's supportive information is as follows: 

On behalf of Falcon 7X owners/operators, DASSAULT AVIATION petitions for an 

exemption from 14 CFR 25.813(e) to allow the installation of a latchable sliding door 

which can be stored in a cabin partition during takeoffs, landings and emergency 

conditions. When latched the door permits totally free access to the cabin aisle and 

emergency exits. 

DASSAULT AVIATION is proposing alternative design requirements to provide a level 

of safety appropriate to the operation of such aircraft which are equipped with cabin 

partitions with doors. DASSAULT AVIATION recognizes that previous exemptions 
issued by the FAA permit installation of doors between passenger compartments 

provided that certain limitations are met on those aircraft. 

Background 

The Falcon 7X is designed to meet the requirements of 14 CFR part 25 for Transport 

Category aircraft. These rules basically address transport category airplanes used for the 

carriage of fare paying passengers from the general public in aircraft with a large 

passenger seating capacity (up to 555 passengers). In contrast, the Falcon 7X will be 

type certified for a maximum of 19 passengers (average capacity of 12). 

Business aircraft generally carry passengers who are used to traveling in smaller aircraft. 

Also, unlike a large airliner, the crew of a business aircraft have day-to-day contact with 

their passengers, thus simplifying and reinforcing communication about safety concerns. 

Additionally, the fact that these aircraft are generally operated by a limited number of 

crewmembers who are very familiar with the specific aircraft involved further enhances 

the safety environment. Therefore, these factors provide a level of safety that is not 

easily achieved in commercial carrier aircraft. In order to maintain a high level of safety, 

we have incorporated mechanical features in our cabin door design which will enhance 

the safety of the Falcon 7X aircraft equipped with a partition and door dividing the 

passenger seating area. 

Considering latest grant of exemptions dealing with § 25.813(e), DASSAULT 

AVIATION understands that the notification “each passenger must be informed that the 

airplane does not comply with occupant safety requirements mandated for the airplane 

type in general” has become unnecessary in accordance with FAA exemptions No.°8123 

and 8199. 

Description of the partition and door 

1. The cabin of the Falcon 7X is approximately 7 feet wide (similarity with Mystere 

Falcon 900 /Falcon 900EX). Thus, some customers request dividing the cabin full width 

laterally to produce a private area because a side corridor is impractical. The doors to be 

installed would be sliding pocket doors retracting into the partition on one side of the 

aircraft, and would be frangible. 

2. Only one partition of the passenger seating area with a door installed would be 

permitted. The proposed door would have a placard requiring it to be open for take-off 

and landing. Any other partitions of the passenger area would be closed with a curtain. 

3. The door would also be equipped with redundant means of locking it in the open 

position, such that the probability of unlocking due to distortion of the fuselage in an 

emergency landing would be minimized. Either means will be capable of supporting the 

inertia loads specified in § 25.561. 

2 
4. By similarity to the lavatory-door, the door between passenger compartments will 

allow persons on either side of the door to unlock or unlatch the door without the use of 

tools (regardless of where it is located in relation to the emergency exits). 

5. Furthermore, lighted signs will be installed on the forward and aft face of the partition 

stating that the door must be open for takeoff and landing. An amber light will be 

installed in the cockpit. The lighted signs and warning will be controlled by the cockpit 

“No Smoking” switch and will be on whenever the “No Smoking” signs are on and the 

door is closed. 

Public Interest 

DASSAULT AVIATION believes that the installation of the combination latchable 

sliding door and cabin partition is in the public's best interest. It will permit the conduct 

of important business meetings, which because of their sensitivity, require an atmosphere 

of complete privacy. 

It is a well established fact that an enormous amount of commercial activity occurs on 

board the United States business aviation fleet. Such commercial activity, including 

private business meetings where important commercial decisions are made, are vital to 

maintaining the competitiveness and overall strength of the U.S. economy (Business 

Aircraft Utilization Strategy - NBAA). 

The granting of this exemption will permit the most efficient use of the aircraft cabin for 

business meetings and other commercial activities. Further, the granting of the petition 

will allow better and more comfortable rest area accommodations for busy executives 

and physically challenged passengers. In addition, note that sick or infirmed passengers 

could be more comfortably transported with the divided cabin configuration. 

According to the FAA web site, other business use jets have received an exemption from

§ 25.813(e). For example, BD700-IA10 reference FAA Docket 29819, and other 

exemptions to models with larger passenger capacity and more complicated floor plans 

than the DASSAULT Falcon 7X. Granting DASSAULT AVIATION’s petition for 

exemption from § 25.813(e) would give DASSAULT AVIATION and its subsidiary 

DASSAULT Falcon Jet the same advantage in the competitive aviation marketplace for 

executive aircraft as other aircraft manufacturers. 

A grant of exemption from § 25.813(e) would continue to keep workforce employed. We

have almost 2000 employees in Little Rock, Arkansas, and Teterboro, New Jersey. In 

addition, DASSAULT AVIATION would continue purchasing from the hundred of 

vendors across the country who supply parts and labor in connection with the sales of our 

aircraft. 

3 
Reasons why granting the exemption will not adversely affect safety 

The effect of the safety features described above will ensure that there is always a clear 

path through the partition to an emergency exit. The frangibility feature will be tested 

using a 5th percentile female, and the resulting aperture demonstrated to be large enough 

to allow for a 95th percentile male to escape. 

Because the basic issues concerning a passenger finding and reaching an exit in an 

emergency are addressed by the above features as well as the previously described safety 

parameters, it is our position that the exemption as requested would provide a level of 

safety for the passengers in a Falcon 7X which is equivalent to that required for 

commercial carrier aircraft. 

For these reasons, we believe the exemption requested is clearly warranted. 

Operation outside the United States 

Considering the multitude of countries in which Falcon 7X should be will be sold and 

operated, it is very likely that this exemption will be recognized by some other countries 

that usually agree with the FAA position. 

Public interest 

The FAA acknowledged that while a grant of exemption is clearly in the interest of the 

segment of the public for which it is requested, the FAA agrees that the public at large 

has the potential to benefit by granting increased flexibility to the manufacture and 

modification of the Dassault Falcon 7X. 

DASSAULT AVIATION’s complete petition for exemption is available on the 

Department of Transportation’s docket website. Go to http://dms.dot.gov. The docket 

number is FAA-2007-27848. 

Public comment 

A summary of this petition was not published in the Federal Register. The nature of this 

exemption is effectively identical to those of previous petitions for which there were no 

public comments received. 

The FAA’s analysis/summary is as follows: 

As more and more transport category airplanes have been configured (or re-configured) 

for private use, the FAA has given considerable attention to the issue of appropriate 

regulation of such airplanes. Some of the current regulations governing design 

certification of transport category airplanes are not compatible with private use of such 

airplanes. Given this situation, the FAA has received a number of petitions for 

exemption from certain regulations. The FAA has granted such exemptions when it finds 

4 
that to do so is in the public interest and does not adversely affect the level of safety 

provided by the regulations. We recently published a Notice of proposed rulemaking, 

Notice No. 07-13, Special Requirements for Private Use Transport Category Airplanes 

(72 FR 38732, July 13, 2007), which, if promulgated, would obviate the need for caseby-case review of individual petitions for exemption. 

The FAA considers the petitioner’s proposal to be in the public interest. The use of doors 

to create separate “rooms” within the passenger cabin allows sensitive and important 

meetings to be conducted during air travel in a manner that would not be possible without 

the placement of doors between passenger areas. Such rooms allow efficient and safe 

carriage of executives in an environment that would not be possible otherwise. In 

addition, the smaller number of passengers and the familiarity of the flight and cabin 

crews with this airplane and its interior ensure that there is an adequate level of safety. 

For these reasons, there is considerable demand for this configuration of the passenger 

cabin for private use airplanes. The FAA acknowledges the desirability of these features 

from the operator’s point of view. 

When the regulations pertaining to interior doors were adopted, they did not necessarily 

consider “rooms.” They considered two possible types of interior doors in a passenger 

compartment. The first type is an interior door between passenger compartments. The 

second type is an interior door between an exit and the passenger compartment. 

Until recently, only the first type of door was prohibited (reference § 25.813(e)). 

However, part 25, as amended by Amendment 25-116, now prohibits interior doors 

between an exit and the passenger compartment. In addition, Amendment 121-306 

prohibits these doors in airplanes operated under 14 CFR part 121 that were 

manufactured after November 27, 2006. Amendments 25-116 and 121-306, titled 

“Miscellaneous Cabin Safety Changes,” were published in the Federal Register on 

October 27, 2004 (69 FR 62778). 

In terms of airplanes configured for private use, there are four different categories of 

doors in the passenger cabins. 

Category 1 — A door in a room that is less than the full width of the airplane. There 

will be an aisle on the outside of the room. This type of room may be occupied during 

takeoff and landing, and only the occupants of the room must use the door to reach an 

exit. 

Category 2 — A door in a room less than the full width of the airplane and the same

as a Category 1 door except there is a single emergency exit or pair of emergency 

exits within the room. 

5 
Category 3 — A door or doors in a room that is the full width of the airplane. There 

are passengers seated on both sides of the door(s) and the main aisle leads out of or 

passes through the room. The room does not have any emergency exits. This type of 

room may be occupied during takeoff and landing. 

Category 4 — A door in a room the full width of the airplane and the same as a 

Category 3 door except there is a pair of emergency exits at one end of the room. This 

type of room may be occupied during takeoff and landing. 

After considerable deliberation, the FAA has concluded that, in regard to the installation 

of interior doors between passenger compartments, not all interior doors are equivalent. 

With respect to such interior doors, the FAA has determined that the following 

requirements will produce an adequate level of safety: 

1. In order to maintain an acceptable level of safety, doors in Category 2, 3, or 4 

installed across the main cabin aisle must open and close in a transverse direction. 

That is, the direction of motion of the door must be at a right angle to the longitudinal 

axis of the airplane. A “pocket door” is one example of such a design. This will tend 

to minimize the chance that the inertia forces of an accident could force the door 

closed. 

2. Redundant means are necessary to latch doors open for takeoff and landing. Each 

latching means must have the capability of retaining the door in the takeoff and 

landing position under the inertia forces of § 25.561. 

3. Each interior door must be frangible, in case it is jammed in the closed position in 

flight or during taxi, takeoff, or landing. Frangibility is intended to ensure that if a 

door is jammed closed, occupants can break it open and escape in either direction and 

emergency equipment can be moved. Frangibility may be demonstrated in either of

the following ways: 

• A 5th percentile female can break through the door, creating a large enough opening 

that a 95th percentile (or larger) male can pass through. (See Advisory Circular 

25-17, “Transport Airplane Cabin Interiors Crashworthiness Handbook,” 

paragraph 43b(2)). 

• A 5th percentile female can break a hinge on the door or a hinge on a smaller door 

within the door so that the door can swing enough to allow a 95th (or larger) 

percentile male to pass through the opening with the door swung open. This 

evaluation must be made with any cabin furnishing or equipment that could limit the 

swing arc of the door installed and then placed in the most adverse position. In 

using this approach, one must consider the possibility that the door is physically 

jammed in the closed position by distortion of the fuselage or furnishings. This 

possibility must be considered even if the door normally translates into the open and 

closed positions. 

6 
4. Doors which fall into Category 1 must be in the open position during taxi, takeoff 

and landing only when the room is occupied. 

5. Doors which fall into Categories 2, 3, or 4 must be in the open position during taxi, 

takeoff and landing, regardless of occupancy. 

6. With respect to the possibility that a door will remain closed when it should not be, 

the FAA has determined that a higher level of awareness is required to address this 

issue. Due to the relative complexity of the cabin interior, the FAA has determined 

that inspection by flight attendants prior to takeoff and landing is not sufficient to 

verify that interior doors are in the proper position. Consequently, some type of 

remote indication is considered necessary. The petitioner’s proposal to provide 

remote indication to the flightcrew is considered adequate. 

In consideration of the foregoing, I find that a grant of exemption is in the public interest. 

Therefore, pursuant to the authority contained in § 49 U.S.C. §§ 40113 and 44701, delegated to 

me by the Administrator, DASSAULT AVIATION is granted an exemption from

14 CFR 25.813(e), Amendment 25-46. The petition is granted to the extent necessary to allow 

DASSAULT AVIATION to install an interior door on private use DASSAULT AVIATION 

Falcon 7X airplanes. The exemption allows interior doors to be installed between passenger 

compartments. This exemption is subject to the following conditions. Provisions 1 and 5 must 

be documented as operating limitations in the Limitations section of the Airplane Flight Manual. 

1. The airplane is not operated for hire or offered for common carriage. This provision 

does not preclude the operator from receiving remuneration to the extent consistent 

with 14 CFR parts 125 and 91, subpart F, as applicable. 

2. Each door between passenger compartments must be frangible. 

3. Doors that fall into Category 1 must be in the open position during taxi, takeoff and 

landing only when the room is occupied or when passengers must pass through the 

room to reach an emergency exit. 

4. Doors that fall into Categories 2, 3, or 4 must be in the open position during taxi, 

takeoff and landing, regardless of occupancy. 

5. Each door between passenger compartments must have a means to signal to the 

flightcrew when the door is closed. Appropriate procedures/limitations must be 

established to ensure that takeoff and landing is prohibited when such compartments 

are occupied and the door is closed. 

7 
6. Doors between passenger compartments must have dual means to retain them in the 

open position, each of which means must be capable of withstanding the inertia loads 

specified in § 25.561. 

7. Doors in Categories 2, 3, or 4, which are installed across a longitudinal aisle, must 

translate laterally to open and close. 

Issued in Renton Washington, on September 27, 2007. 

/s/ 

Ali Bahrami 

Manager 

Transport Airplane Directorate 

Aircraft Certification Service 

8