The Dassault Falcon 8X Makes a 29,900-Newton Argument for the Trijet

The flagship French jet, now with 50% more engines.

Two is the ideal number of many things: lungs, shoes, homes, girlfriends. But, when it comes to jet engines, three is best. Thankfully, Dassault Falcon, the best-named manufacturer in the biz, has just released a new flagship plane. Welcome to the incredibly well-equipped, lavishly-engined Dassault Falcon 8X.

Three power-sources mean lots of push in high-altitude and high-heat conditions, as well as an extravagant margin of error. A seagull flies into one engine? All right, we’ll fly with two like the rest of the plebes. A pair of albatross gums up two turbines? Not ideal, but we’ll make it with one. The 8X is more than its engines, though. (My cabin is up here!) Its large fuselage provides for 30 possible layouts, the cockpit is packed with Honeywell’s latest electronics, and increased fuel capacity allows for a 14-hour range that can get you from New York to Beijing, Paris to Tokyo, or Sao Paulo to Moscow (why you’d forsake Brazil for Russia is beyond us). What it comes down to: what guy wouldn’t want to pack 150% of the competition’s firepower? [$58 million; available late 2015]

Photos by Dassault Aviation