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Private Jet Ownership Cost

Dassault Falcon 50 Overview & Ownership Costs

By 26 May 2021December 18th, 2024No Comments16 min read

Deliveries of the Dassault Falcon 50 began in 1980, with deliveries ending in 1996. Two hundred and thirty-nine Falcon 50 aircraft are currently in active service.

The Falcon 50 can accommodate up to 10 passengers, with a maximum baggage capacity of 115 cubic feet.

When in its optimum configuration, the Dassault Falcon 50 can cruise non-stop for up to 3,130 nautical miles (3,602 miles / 5,797 km). However, when configured for the fastest cruise speed, the Falcon 50 can maintain a cruise speed of 480 knots.

The Dassault Falcon 50 can cruise at up to 49,000 feet. Additionally, the Falcon 50 has an average hourly fuel burn of 229 Gallons per Hour (GPH).

Thanks to its Honeywell TFE731-3-1C engines, the Falcon 50 has a total thrust output of 11,100 lbs.

In terms of cost, the Falcon 50 has an estimated hourly charter price of $5,000. Furthermore, back when deliveries of the Dassault Falcon 50 began, the list price for a new example was $15 million.

Jump straight to the total cost table of the Dassault Falcon 50.

Dassault Falcon 50 Cost Overview

When it comes to operating the Dassault Falcon 50, there are two expense categories to consider – fixed costs and variable costs.

Fixed costs are those that you pay no matter what. Whether the aircraft flies or not has no effect on fixed costs. These costs do not change in relation to the number of hours the aircraft flies.

So, therefore, whether you fly the aircraft 50 hours per year or 500 hours, the fixed costs will remain the same.

The estimated annual fixed cost for operating the Falcon 50 is $514,317.

Variable costs, on the other hand, are directly proportional to the number of hours the aircraft flies per year.

The best example of a variable cost in this case is fuel use. One of the biggest costs when flying by private jet is fuel. See this to learn about private jet fuel costs.

Clearly, the more you fly the aircraft, the more fuel it will use. Therefore, flying 500 hours per year will result in variable costs 10 times greater than if you were to fly 50 hours per year.

Therefore, the estimated variable cost for private jets is presented as an hourly figure. This is how much extra the aircraft will cost you per flight hour.

Therefore, the estimated hourly variable rate for operating the Dassault Falcon 50 is $3,935.

Of course, this hourly variable cost is different from that of the estimated hourly charter price. This is because, per hour, charter flights cost more. There are further parties involved. The hourly charter price is the aircraft’s hourly variable cost, along with factoring in fixed costs and broker fees.

History

The Dassault Falcon 50 is a French super-midsize, long-range business jet, featuring a trijet layout with an S-duct air intake for the central engine. It has the same fuselage cross-section and similar capacity as the earlier twin-engined Falcon 20 but was a new design that is an area ruled and includes a more advanced wing design.

Dassault Aviation created the Falcon 50 to be able to complete intercontinental flights, and still maintain a short takeoff distance and a roomy cabin. At the time of its completion, it was the first private jet on the market with an intercontinental range. Its range/payload capacity is pretty impressive, even years after its release.

Dassault Falcon 50-40 Exterior

With the success of the previous Dassault Falcon jets, it is no wonder that Dassault Aviation decided to press on in the business jet market. Designs for the Falcon 20 were built upon and improved, and the Dassault Falcon 50 was introduced. The first prototype of the Falcon 50 was flown on November 7, 1976 and the private business jet received French airworthiness certification on February 27, 1979, followed closely by U.S.

FAA certification on March of that year. By the time deliveries began in July of 1979, the wing design had been modified to incorporate a supercritical wing design.

Dassault Falcon 50 Performance

The Dassault Falcon 50 utilizes three Honeywell TFE731-3-1C turbofan engines. These powerful engines are rated at 3,700 pounds of thrust per engine.

Each engine uses a separate fuel system of just over 5,000 pounds of fuel which adds up to an impressive total of 15,520 pounds of fuel, allowing the Falcon 50 to fly nonstop for seven hours while still meeting FAA minimum fuel reserve requirements.

These engines feature a combined fuel consumption rate of 2,100 to 2,200 pounds of fuel per hour, making the Falcon 50 an attractive economic option as well.

This private business jet features a maximum certified service ceiling of 49,000 feet and an impressive intercontinental range of 3,100 nautical miles. The Falcon 50 requires 4,700 feet of runway to take off and needs only 2,150 feet of runway to land on a standard day.

This private business jet is capable of climbing to an altitude of 39,000 feet in just thirty minutes. The Falcon 50 can fly at an impressive 468 knots at an altitude of 37,000 feet in a high-speed cruise configuration for a swift flight. In a long-range cruise configuration, the Dassault Falcon 50 is capable of maintaining 410 knots at an altitude of 43,000 feet.

Falcon 50 Interior

The Falcon 50 is generally configured to accommodate eight to ten patrons, but it can be arranged to accommodate a maximum of nineteen passengers.

The roomy cabin of the Falcon 50 measures 23.5 feet in length, stretches 6.1 feet in width, and reaches 5.9 feet in height for a comfortable total cabin volume of 700 cubic feet. Fourteen windows surround the cabin, contributing to a light environment.

Dassault Falcon 50-40 Interior

With a maximum differential pressure of 8.7 psi, the Dassault Falcon 50 is capable of maintaining a sea-level cabin altitude up to an altitude of 26,100 feet.

A two-zone temperature regulation system is in place, utilizing bleed air from the center engine to provide a comfortable cabin environment. With a cabin measuring more than twenty-three feet long and a transcontinental range, the Falcon 50 still manages to cruise at speeds of 468 knots.

Cockpit

The avionics system of the Falcon 50 includes an ADC 80 air data computer, a Collins FCS-80F autopilot computer, dual VHF comm, and nav radios, a Primus color weather radar, DME measuring equipment, and a radio altimeter.

Additional systems may be added as desired.

Purchase Price

The acquisition cost for this jet typically ranges from $4-6 million. The price of a jet depends on the production year; it can also go above the given range if the production is new.

It will cost buyers around $ 1-1.5 million per year which includes fuel, crew members, and maintenance, etc. The price of a pre-owned aircraft can be within $1-2 million. There are numerous sellers available on various sites.

Falcon 50 Fixed Cost Breakdown

When it comes to fixed costs, there are six criteria that have been identified as the biggest contributors to the annual cost of operation.

These costs are crew salary, crew training, hangar, insurance, management, and then the additional, miscellaneous fixed costs.

These costs are explained in further detail below the table.

The table below details the estimated cost of each fixed cost for the Dassault Falcon 50.

Fixed CostAnnual Spend
Crew Salary$308,584
Crew Training$38,003
Hangar$49,648
Insurance$15,027
Management$78,000
Miscellaneous Fixed$25,055
Total$514,317
Estimated annual fixed costs for the Dassault Falcon 50. Please note that all prices are estimates only and in USD.

Crew Salary

The salary of crew members is one of the most significant costs of operating an aircraft.

Naturally, the crew are an essential part to the operation of the aircraft. Without pilots your aircraft will not be going anywhere.

Moreover, crew are essential to the safe operation of your aircraft. Therefore, ensuring that your crew members are appropriately certified and skilled is of paramount important. However, the higher the skill level of the crew, the higher the salary they demand.

Crew Training

Having well trained crew members is important. Again, they are integral to the safe and efficient operation of your aircraft.

Keeping aircraft type ratings valid and ensuring that crew members maintain their high standards is key.

This is a cost that will keep on occurring every year, whether your aircraft flies or not.

Hangar Costs

The storage of a private jet when not in use is important to consider.

Where are you going to leave your multi-million dollar aircraft when it isn’t in the sky?

Of course, you want it to be somewhere safe, secure and convenient. Therefore, for most private jet owners a hangar is a preferable option over leaving it outside.

Naturally, there are many factors that will influence the annual cost of hangarage. Factors such as aircraft size, airport location and service amenities will all impact the cost.

As a result, the hangar cost stated is a general average for the aircraft type. However, this fee can fluctuate significantly.

Insurance Costs

In simple terms, there are two types of insurance that private jets must have.

The first is liability insurance. This provides cover against loss, damage or injury to third parties. Third parties in this case include passengers, cargo and baggage. While exact details will vary from policy to policy, cover is generally not provided for the pilot in command or the actual aircraft.

This then leads to the second part of private jet insurance – hull insurance. Hull insurance policies are agreed on a value basis. That is, the value of the aircraft. Therefore, in the event of a total loss, insurers will pay the agreed value as opposed to the current market value.

This are two essential pieces of insurance for private jets. However, owners may also wish to consider aviation hull war insurance and crew insurance.

Aviation hull war insurance provides cover for loss of the aircraft due to war, hijack, confiscation, malicious damage and other similar risks. This is typically chosen by owners who will be flying private jets into hazardous destinations.

Crew insurance allows pilots and crew members to be provided with an enhanced employee benefit package. Such as including loss of licence cover, personal accident cover and travel insurance.

Management Costs

Aircraft management is an essential component when owning and operating a private jet.

An aircraft management team provide all the necessary services required to fly the aircraft. For example, sourcing and managing pilots to making sure the aircraft is airworthy, are all tasks provided by your aircraft management company.

Of course, there is the option of so called self-management. This is where the management tasks are left with your pilot in command. However, this option is rarely selected. Therefore, in the ownership cost example we assume an aircraft management company is involved.

Your aircraft management team will typically perform the following tasks:

  • Flight bookings
  • Flight planning
  • Charter marketing / sales
  • Crew scheduling
  • Aircraft airworthiness reviews and tasks
  • Maintenance scheduling
  • Invoice management
  • Crew management

Additionally, your aircraft management team will likely provide many more small activities in order to ensure a smooth operation of the aircraft.

Of course, there are many factors that will affect the total price of your aircraft management fee. Primarily the difference in cost will depend on the aircraft type, use and region of operation.

Miscellaneous Fixed Costs

The miscellaneous fixed costs are made up of everything that doesn’t fit into the above categories.

Things such as the fees for charts, software and computers to manage your aircraft will be in this category.

When owning a private jet there will likely be surprise costs and upgrades that occur throughout your ownership experience.

Therefore, it is good practice to factor in additional, unexpected costs per year.

Falcon 50 Variable Cost Breakdown

Variable costs are those that change depending on the usage of the aircraft. Variable costs can be broken down into hourly chunks.

This, therefore, results in an hourly variable cost figure. This figure is the cost per hour that the aircraft is flown.

There are five factors that we have built into the hourly variable cost figure. These values are the cost of fuel, maintenance, engine overhaul, crew, landing & handling fees, along with other various costs.

All these variables are proportional to the number of hours flown. For example, the more you fly the aircraft, the more fuel it will use.

See below for a table of the estimated hourly variable costs when operating the Dassault Falcon 50.

Below the table you will find an explanation of each variable.

Variable CostHourly Spend
Fuel Cost$1,718
Maintenance$857
Engine Overhaul$238
Crew/Landing/Handling Fees$961
Miscellaneous Variable$161
Total$3,935
Estimated hourly variable costs for the Dassault Falcon 50. Please note that all prices are estimates only and in USD.

Fuel Costs

Fuel costs are a significant hourly expense when operating a private jet. The more hours you fly, the more fuel the aircraft burns.

Of course, the amount of fuel that the aircraft burns per hour will vary greatly depending on its average hourly consumption, measure in Gallons per Hour (GPH).

Read this article to learn more about how much private jet fuel costs.

Or read this article to see the different fuel burn figures for all private jets.

Different aircraft burn different volumes of fuel per hour. However, a general rule of thumb is that the larger the aircraft, the greater the hourly fuel consumption.

Of course, depending on location, fuel prices vary dramatically. Therefore, this cost will be slightly adjusted depending on the fuel cost at the FBO.

Maintenance Costs

In order to ensure that aircraft are safe to fly they require maintenance at regular intervals.

These intervals are scheduled and depend on the manufacturer’s guidelines. Moreover, maintenance is scheduled based on number of hours flown.

For example, a certain aircraft may need an inspection every 100 hours. Therefore, you can plan around when the aircraft requires maintenance.

Additionally, these maintenance events are in direct relation to the number of hours that the aircraft is flown.

Therefore, the more the aircraft flies, the more maintenance it will require.

However, this cost also takes into account any unexpected maintenance events. For example, a bird strike or blown tire will introduce an unexpected maintenance check.

Engine Overhaul Costs

An engine overhaul is a scheduled event that is essentially the maintenance and inspection of the engine.

Given the term ‘overhaul’, the event is more serious than a quick visual inspection. And, in a major engine overhaul, a complete disassembly and inspection of the engine.

Again, much like maintenance of the airframe, the more an engine is used, the more wear and tear the engine will experience. Therefore, the more hours flown, the quicker an engine overhaul will be required. Additionally, the more hours flown the more often an engine overhaul will need to be performed.

If you are interested in learning more about engine overhauls, then read this article.

Crew/Landing/Handling Costs

Crew fees, landing fees, and handling fees are highly dependant on the route taken. Therefore, it is hard to give an accurate figure.

Crew fees are those that you need to pay the crew during an extended stay. Additionally, crew fees are highly dependant on the length of stay and the location. For example, crew overnight expenses, such as hotels and food, will cost far more in New York City than Wichita, Kansas.

Secondly, when landing at an airport, aircraft are charged a landing fee. This fee is usually based on the weight of the aircraft. Therefore, larger aircraft have greater landing fees than smaller aircraft.

Landing fees will vary from airport to airport. For example, if you were to regularly fly out of La Guardia airport, New York, the cost of landing fees would be greater than if you regularly flew from Wichita National Airport.

And finally, handling fees go hand in hand with landing fees. When on the ground you will need the aircraft to be parked securely, bags unloaded and various ground services. They are typically provided by the FBO (fixed-base operator). Of course, all these services will come at a price.

Again, the price of handling fees will vary depending on airport and aircraft size.

Miscellaneous Costs

Miscellaneous variable costs are very similar to the miscellaneous fixed costs. No matter how well you plan and budget, there will always be some unexpected costs involved.

Therefore, this budget accounts for the unexpected.

Dassault Falcon 50 Total Costs

Annual CostFlying 200 hours per year
Crew Salary$308,584
Crew Training$38,003
Hangar$49,648
Insurance$15,027
Management$78,000
Miscellaneous Fixed$25,055
Total Fixed Costs$514,317
Fuel Cost$343,600
Maintenance$171,400
Engine Overhaul$47,600
Crew / Landing / Handling$192,200
Miscellaneous Variable$32,200
Total Variable Costs$787,000
Total Annual Costs$1,301,317
Total estimated annual costs for operating the Dassault Falcon 50 when flying 200 hours per year. Please note that all prices are estimates only and in USD.

Dassault Falcon 50 Annual Budget Calculator

Use the calculator below to calculate the estimated annual budget to operate the Dassault Falcon 50.

Simply enter the number of hours per year and receive click “Get Annual Budget”. Below you will then see the estimated annual budget for owning and operating the Falcon 50.

The final value takes into account both fixed and variable costs. Please note that the final value is an estimate only. Additionally, note that all values are in USD.

Annual Hours Flown:


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Dassault Falcon 50 Annual Budget:

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Benedict

Benedict is a dedicated writer, specializing in in-depth discussions of private aviation ownership and its associated topics.