UNITED STATES OF AMERICA 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

FEDERAL AVIATION ADMINISTRATION 

RENTON, WASHINGTON 98057-3356 

In the matter of the petition of 

Exemption No. 11328 

Dassault Aviation Regulatory Docket No. FAA-2015-0146 

for an exemption from § 25.144 7 ( c )(1) of 

Title 14, Code ofFederal Regulations 

PARTIAL GRANT OF EXEMPTION 

By letter dated January 20, 2015, Mr. Matthieu Amberg, Certification Manager, Dassault 

Aviation, 78, quai Marcel Dassault- Cedex 300, France, petitioned the Federal Aviation 

Administration (FAA) for an exemption from the requirements of§ 25.1447(c)(l) of Title 14, 

Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR). This exemption, if granted would permit relief from the 

requirement for passenger oxygen masks to be automatically presented before the cabin-pressure 

altitude exceeds 15,000 feet for the Falcon 5X series airplanes. 

The petitioner requests relief from the following regulation: 

Section 25.1447(c)(1) requires, in pertinent part, that there must be an oxygen-dispensing 

unit connected to oxygen-supply terminals immediately available to each occupant, 

wherever seated. If certification for operation above 30,000 feet is requested, the 

dispensing units providing the required oxygen flow must be automatically presented to 

the occupants before the cabin-pressure altitude exceeds 15,000 feet, and the crew must 

be provided with a manual means to make the dispensing units immediately available in 

the event of failure ofthe automatic system. 

The petitioner supports its request with the following information: 

This section quotes the relevant information from the petitioner's request, with minor edits for 

clarity. The complete petition is available at the Department of Transportation's Federal Docket 

Management System, on the Internet at http://regul ations.gov, in Docket No. FAA-2015-0146. 
Extent of Relief and Reason for Seeking Relief 

At the present time, no less than four civilian airports have landing field elevation (LFE) 

higher· than 14,000 feet in China; the highest one, Daocheng Yading Airport, which LFE 

reaches 14,4 72 feet above sea level (barometric pressure variations excluded). 

In order to have Falcon 5X aircraft operable from and to these airports, Dassault Aviation 

seeks relief from part of§ 25.1447(c)(1) requiring the passenger oxygen dispensing units 

to be automatically presented to occupants before the cabin pressure altitude exceeds 

15,000 feet. 

The Falcon 5X oxygen system design includes a "High Airfield" mode for operations to 

and from airfields with altitudes up to 15,000 feet, for which the threshold for automatic 

passenger mask deployment is potentially higher than 15,000 feet, in order to 

accommodate adequate margins with regard to standard atmospheric conditions. In 

"High Airfield" mode, the deployment threshold of the passenger oxygen masks is 

automatically set at 15,500 feet(± 500 feet) instead of 14,500 feet(± 500 feet). 

On the Falcon 5X, the oxygen system controller is able to change the deployment altitude 

threshold when high airfield operation is required. In normal mode ("High Airfield" 

mode deactivated), the threshold is set to 14,500 feet(± 500 feet). When the "High 

Airfield" mode is activated, the threshold is set to 15,500 feet(± 500 feet); this mode is 

compatible with LFE up to 15,000 feet. 

The "High Airfield" mode is automatically activated any time the cabin pressure can 

reach values above the 14,000 feet equivalent pressure, except in decompression cases. 

• On ground, this mode is activated if the cabin pressure altitude is above 14,000 

feet. 

• In flight, the "High Airfield" mode is activated ifthe barometric corrected 

landing/takeoff airport LFE is equal to or above 14,000 feet, and if the cabin 

pressure altitude is above 12,000 feet, and if the aircraft altitude is below 25,000 

feet. 

The oxygen system deployment threshold is reset to normal mode whenever one of these 

conditions is not met anymore. 

Reasons why Granting this Request Would be in the Public Interest 

Whereas Dassault Aviation is not an American aircraft manufacturer, its completion 

center, Dassault Falcon Jet (DFJ), is a large American facility settled for a long time 

within the United States aircraft industry. In addition, as for all Dassault Aviation Falcon 

aircraft programs, the Falcon 5X program involves numerous US companies as aircraft 

systems, airframe, and service suppliers. Falcon 5X business will increase the already 

established Falcon business which represents thousands of jobs over the United States. 

Denial of this petition would negatively impact the ability of the Falcon 5X to compete 

with other airplanes in the executive market that have already been granted with exactly 

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the same exemption. This will adversely impact the economy and employment of French 

and US companies, which would be against the public interest. 

Reasons why granting the exemption will not adversely affect safety 

This exemption would provide the required automatic oxygen protection to the Falcon 5X 

passengers flying to and from high elevation airports with LFE above 14,000 feet and 

maintain the level of safety intended by the rule. This "High Airfield" mode of the 

passenger oxygen mask deployment threshold will reduce the occurrence of inadvertent 

deployment. 

Additional Information 

In the scope ofthis petition, Dassault Aviation takes benefit from previous grants of 

exemption issued by the FAA dealing with the setting of oxygen mask deployment 

setpoint above 15,000 feet for high airfield operations. Please note that the FAA has 

previously granted such exemptions to several models with much larger passenger 

capacity than the Dassault Falcon 5X Series. 

Exempt. Issue Expir. FAA Disp. Regulation Petitioner Aircraft 

No Date Date Office 

6076 04/26/ 1995 (NoExpire) (NA) Granted 25.84l(a) The Boeing 8757 

25.1447(c)(l) Company 

6994 09116/ 1999 (NoExpire) (NA) Partially 25.1447(c)(l) Airbus A319, 

Granted lndustrie A320, 

A321 

8668 12/02/2005 (NoExpire) (NA) Granted 25.1447(c)(l) The Boeing B737 

Company 

9801 12/12/2008 (No Expire) (NA) Granted 25.1447(c)(l) The Boeing B787 

Company 

10044 04/01 /2010 (NoExpire) (NA) Granted 25.1447(c)(l) Gulfstream GIV-X 

Aerospace GV-SP 

Corporation 

Request for waiver from publication and comments 

Considering the above listed exemptions, it is Dassault Aviation's opinion that the 

requested exemption is identical to exemptions granted previously and that granting this 

petition would not set a precedent. As a result, Dassault Aviation respectfully requests 

that action on this petition should not be delayed by publication and comment procedures. 

Exercise of Exemption Privileges and Operation Outside of the United States 

Falcon 5X aircraft will be operated all over the world by its US registered operators; 

therefore, Dassault Aviation requests to exercise the privileges of the exemption outside 

the United States. 

Federal Register publication 

The FAA has determined that good cause exists for waiving the requirement for Federal Register 

publication for public comment because the request is identical in all material respects to 

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previously granted exemptions; the exemption, if granted, would not set a precedent; and any 

delay in acting on this petition would be detrimental to Dassault Aviation. 

The FAA's analysis 

The FAA considers that granting this petition is in the public interest for the reasons stated by the 

petitioner and because this exemption is effectively identical to previously granted exemptions. 

The petitioner requests an exemption for the Dassault Aviation Falcon 5X series airplanes and 

seeks relief from the requirement of§ 25.1447(c)(1), which states that oxygen-dispensing 

equipment for occupants must be automatically presented before the cabin-pressure altitude 

reaches 15,000 feet. The petitioner's current design ofthe passenger oxygen system has only one 

pressure altitude set point of 14,500 feet,± 500 feet (accounting for sensor tolerance), thus 

ensuring automatic presentation of oxygen masks before cabin altitude reaches 15,000 feet. The 

petitioner's proposed design of the passenger oxygen system provides for a second pressure 

altitude set point of 15,500 feet,± 500 feet. For operation of the Dassault Aviation Falcon 5X 

series airplane into and out of an airport with a landing field elevation above 14,000 feet, the 

cabin pressure control system automatically commands the passenger oxygen system to use this 

second set point when any one of the following conditions is true: 

• Airplane is on the ground and the airplane pressure altitude is above 14,000 feet; or 

• Airplane is in flight below 25,000 feet while the barometric corrected landing/take-off 

airport elevation is equal or above 14,000 feet and the cabin pressure altitude is above 

12,000 feet. 

The FAA's decision 

In consideration of the foregoing, I find that a partial 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, I grant Dassault Aviation an exemption from the requirement of 

14 CFR 25.144 7 ( c )(1) that the passenger oxygen equipment be automatically presented before 

the cabin pressure altitude exceeds 15,000 feet. For Dassault Model 5X series airplanes, this 

grant of exemption will permit passenger oxygen masks to be automatically presented before the 

cabin pressure altitude exceeds 16,000 feet when operating into and out of airports with altitudes 

above 14,000 feet. This exemption is granted to the extent necessary to reduce the occurrence of 

inadvertent deployment of oxygen masks. 

Issued in Renton, Washington, on APR 1 5 Z015 

~~ Michael Kaszycki 

Acting Manager, Transport Airplane Directorate 

Aircraft Certification Service 

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