DGT-DTC/CER 582947 1/3 

This document is the intellectual property of DASSAULT AVIATION. It may not be used, reproduced, modified or disclosed without its authorization. DASSAULT AVIATION Proprietary Data. 

DIRECTION GÉNÉRALE TECHNIQUE 

 Saint Cloud, March 12th, 2012 

U.S. Department of Transportation 

Docket Operations 

West Building Ground Floor, Room W12–140, 

1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE. 

Washington, DC 20590 

USA 

DGT-DTC/CER 582947 

CM/FT 

Please contact Frederic TARDY Tél : +33 (0) 147 115 497 Fax : +33 (0) 147 115 745 

SUBJECT: Falcon 7X Series - Petition for amendment of exemption n°9506 regarding 14 

CFR Part 25.813(e) 

Applicable to: Doors between passenger compartments

Dear Administrator, 

In accordance with 14 CFR Part 11, we respectfully request that you consider the updated Petition for 

Amendment of Exemption n°9506, document reference DGT354445 revision 2 dated 06-Mar-2012, 

that is attached to this letter. 

Please do not hesitate to contact us at the following address: 

Frederic TARDY 

DASSAULT AVIATION 

Certification Directorate 

78, quai Marcel Dassault 

92214 St Cloud Cedex - France 

Phone / fax : +33 (0)1 47 11 54 97 / 57 45 

e-mail : frederic.tardy@dassault-aviation.com

Thank you for your assistance. 

Best regards. 

Th BOISSON 

On behalf of

F. BALTZINGER J.P. DARGENTOLLE 

Evidence of signature is provided by a red electronic stamp on the first page left hand margin. 

Att: DGT354445 - FT F7X - Petition for amendment of exemption n°9506 Issue 2 regarding 14 CFR Part 25.813(e) 

Applicable to Doors between passenger compartments

090040008059a44b - RELEASED - Certification Repository
DGT-DTC/CER 582947 2/3 

This document is the intellectual property of DASSAULT AVIATION. It may not be used, reproduced, modified or disclosed without its authorization. DASSAULT AVIATION Proprietary Data. 

SUBJECT : Falcon 7X Series - Petition for amendment of exemption n°9506 regarding 14 CFR 

Part 25.813(e) 

Applicable to: Doors between passenger compartments 

EXTERNAL COPIE(S) : 

M D. JACQUET FAA Renton (P.J) 

 T. RODRIGUEZ FAA Renton (P.J) 

 R. BADER EASA Cologne (P.J) 
DGT-DTC/CER 582947 3/3 

This document is the intellectual property of DASSAULT AVIATION. It may not be used, reproduced, modified or disclosed without its authorization. DASSAULT AVIATION Proprietary Data. 

SUBJECT : Falcon 7X Series - Petition for amendement of exemption n°9506 regarding 14 

CFR Part 25.813(e) 

Applicable to: Doors between passenger compartments 

INTERNAL COPIE(S) : 

MM. Ph. BRIAUD DPAC St Cloud 

 ROLLAND DPF St Cloud 

 M. LAVANANT DGT/DIRM Mérignac 

 J.P. DARGENTOLLE DGT/DTC-DIR St-Cloud 

 G. GARROUSTE DGT/DTC-DIR Mérignac 

 C. GIRAUDEAU DGT/DTC-SDV Mérignac 

 P. GEORGES DGT/DTC-RSN St Cloud 

 F. BALTZINGER DGT/DTC-CER St Cloud 

 Th. BOISSON DGT/DTC-CER Mérignac 

 L. MANTEZ DGT/DTC-CER Mérignac 

 R. BARTHE DGT/DTC-CER Mérignac 

 F. TARDY DGT/DTC-CER St Cloud 

 J.C. LERMINIAUX DGT/DTACF/BE ACF Mérignac 

 B. MONNIER DGT/DTACF/RT St Cloud 

 P. BATS DGT/DTACF/RT Mérignac 

 O. CLAUDON DGT/DTACF/RT St Cloud 

 Y. TITEUX DFJ/ENGINEERING Little Rock 

 P. DEBRUGE DFJ/CERTIFICATION Little Rock 

 D. BOWERS DFJ/CERTIFICATION Little Rock 

 I. WILSON DFJ/ENGINEERING Little Rock 

 R. FEAZELL DFJ/CERTIFICATION Little Rock 

 Classement DGT St Cloud 
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This document is the intellectual property of DASSAULT AVIATION. It may not be used, reproduced, modified or disclosed without its authorization. DASSAULT AVIATION Proprietary Data. 

DIRECTION GÉNÉRALE TECHNIQUE 

 Saint Cloud, February 13th, 2012

 Issue 2, March 06th, 2012

 

DGT354445 Issue 2 

CM/FT 

Please contact Frederic TARDY Tél : +33 (0) 147 115 497 Fax : +33 (0) 147 115 745 

SUBJECT: Falcon 7X Series - Petition for amendment of exemption n°9506 regarding 14 CFR 

Part 25.813(e) Issue 2 

Applicable to: Doors between passenger compartments

Changes in issue 2: Public Interest section updated following FAA request by mail on 27-Feb-2012 

1. Summary of the Petition for Amendment of Exemption [as per FAR Part 

11.81 (b) and (f)] 

DASSAULT AVIATION is officially applying on behalf of Falcon 7X Series owners/operators, for an 

amendment of the permanent Exemption n°9506 to 14 CFR Part 25.813(e) rule. Exemption n°9506 

was granted to DASSAULT AVIATION in order to allow the installation on Falcon 7X airplane of a 

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

conditions. 

This petition for amendment aims at making the Exemption n°9506 consistent with the recently 

granted FAA Exemption n°10396 applicable to Falcon 900 Series, as well as with EASA’s CRI D-14 

applicable to F7X series, in: 

- Allowing the installation of mid cabin simple (or double) sliding door(s), 

- Allowing their installation in Public Transportation pending they remain blocked in fully open 

position and require a maintenance operation to set them operational if the airplane has to be 

operated in Private Transportation, 

- Taking into account the integration of the cockpit annunciator into EASy system (introduced 

per M0566 “EASy load 10”) 

090040008057f84a - RELEASED - Certification Repository
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This document is the intellectual property of DASSAULT AVIATION. It may not be used, reproduced, modified or disclosed without its authorization. DASSAULT AVIATION Proprietary Data. 

2. Background / Extent of relief and reason [as per Part 11.81(c)] 

Since DASSAULT AVIATION has more and more customers requesting to have an airplane capable 

of both private and public transportation we would like FAA to consider the possibility to allow the 

installation of a mid cabin partition, even for public operation, considering that the door must be 

inoperable and blocked in fully open position during all flight phases when operated in public 

transportation. In case the customer/operator wants to switch to private configuration, a maintenance 

operation (i.e. not possible to be executed by crew or passenger), will be necessary to unblock the door 

(of course, a reverse operation will be necessary to go back to public configuration). This will give to 

the customer a more flexible way to switch from private to public configuration without having to 

remove the door from the airplane. 

Note that DA’s proposition does not preclude the installation of a door only applicable to private use 

but prevents some operators from applying unpractical door removal procedure for the specific case of 

F7X operated under public operation. 

Besides, for aesthetic reasons, double sliding doors are now often requested by customers in lieu of 

simple ones. Yet, these double doors are currently not addressed in the Exemption n°9506. 

Consequently, the present petition for amendment is also requesting to include the possibility of 

installation of double sliding doors as well as simple ones on F7X airplanes. 

As indicated above, these requests have already been found acceptable recently by FAA for Falcon 

900 Series through Exemption n°10396 (see table in §5) which acknowledges the installation of single 

and double doors between passenger compartments (see § “Description of the partition and door” (1.)), 

as well as the possibility of installing such doors blocked fully open in Public Transportation (see 

special condition (8.)). 

Besides, EASA’s CRI D-14 also allows the installation of simple and double doors for Falcon 7X 

Series (see special condition (d)) as well as their installation in Public Transportation pending the 

door(s) is(are) blocked in open position (see special condition (c)). 
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3. Description of the partition and door(s) 

Impacts of those changes on this section are highlighted in yellow. 

1. The cabin of the Falcon 7X Series is approximately 7 feet wide. Thus, some customers request to 

divide the cabin full width laterally, to produce a private area, because a side corridor is impractical. 

The doors to be installed would be single (or dual) pocket sliding door(s) retracting into the partition 

on one (or both) side(s) of the airplane. The doors will require a retracting footer because with a cabin 

head-room of 6 ft the door must slide downward tangential to the fuselage contour. The door would be 

frangible to enable it to be broken open in an emergency, in addition to having blow-out capability for 

decompression. 

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

This will allow one section of the passenger seating area to be used as a private office or bedroom 

during long duration flights. The proposed door would have a placard, requiring it to be open for takeoff and landing. Any other partitions of the passenger area would be closed out with a curtain. 

3. Each door would also be equipped with redundant means of locking the door 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 FAR 25.561. 

4. By similarity to 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. Moreover, 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 (or a white 

CAS message will be available in case of integration in EASy system). The lighted signs and warning 

(or CAS message) will be controlled by the cockpit “No Smoking” switch and will be “ON” whenever 

the “No Smoking” signs are “ON” and the the door (s) is (are) closed (in case of EASy integration, it 

will be controlled according to the logic described in M0566). The signs and warning (or CAS 

message) will remain illuminated until the door is secured in the open position at which time it will 

extinguish. 

6. The emergency exit sign requirements will be addressed separately to ensure that the level of 

passenger guidance required to find an exit will be provided. This will be customized on each airplane 

since there are often differences between the individual airplane interior arrangements. 
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4. Public Interest [as per Part 11.81(d)] 

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).

For example, business aircraft reduce not only flight time but also total travel time by providing point 

to point service and their ability to utilize smaller airports closer to final destinations. In addition, the 

"office" environment which exists within the business aircraft allows travel time of busy executives 

and their guests, to become productive time. Business aviation enables a company to maximize its two 

most important assets: people and time. 

Very often, conversations conducted on business aircraft are confidential and deal with commercially 

sensitive matters. Accordingly, owners of business aircraft strongly prefer to configure their cabins in 

such a way that special requirements of their operation can be met. One of the most popular 

configurations requested by a wide array of business and public sector customers is a split cabin 

configuration where one sector is devoted to club seating used for individual work areas and dining 

areas while the second sector is devoted to private meetings and/or a rest area set off from the 

remainder of the cabin. 

Moreover, the installation of a mid cabin door in both private and public airplanes, pending specific 

means are provided to make the door inoperable and blocked in open position during all flight phases 

when operated in public operation, will prevent some operators from applying unpractical door 

removal procedure for the specific case of F7X operated under public operation. This will increase the 

flexibility of customers to use their airplanes either in Public or in Private Transportation. 

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

which will significantly enhance the value of the airplane to its owner/operator. 

Further, the granting of the petition will allow better and more comfortable rest area accommodations 

for busy executives and physically challenged passengers. 

For these reasons, we believe the exemption requested is clearly warranted. In addition, note that sick 

or infirmed passengers could be more comfortably transported with the divided cabin configuration 

5. Reasons why granting the exemption will not adversely affect safety [as 

Part 11.81(e)] 

The effect of the updated safety features described above (cf. §2) will ensure that there is always a

clear path through the partition to an emergency exit. However even if some extreme condition should 
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result in the door being closed or partially closed after an accident there are still simple, failsafe means 

to get through the door to reach an 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 amendment for exemption as requested, would provide a level of safety for the passengers in a 

Falcon 7X equivalent to that required for commercial carrier airplane. 

6. Additional information [as Part 11.81(g)] 

As reminded in § 1. FAA has previously granted an exemption n°10396 Falcon 900 Series allowing: 

- Applicability to dual doors designs, 

- Authorization to allow the installation of a mid cabin partition, even for public operation, 

considering that the door will be blocked open by a maintenance operation in this case. 

Integration of the cockpit annunciator has been approved in January 2010 by EASA and FAA through 

M0566 “EASy load 10” Major Level 1 modification. 

7. Operation outside US [as per FAR Part 11.81(h)] 

Considering the multitude of countries in which Falcon 7X Series are sold and operated, it is very 

likely that this Amendment for exemption should be recognized by some other countries usually 

agreeing with FAA position. 

Based on the information provided above, we request an official FAA position regarding our petition 

for amendment for exemption n°9506. 

Please do not hesitate to ask for any additional information which you may require in order to respond 

to this petition. 

Respectfully submitted, 

Th BOISSON 

On behalf of 

F. TARDY F. BALTZINGER