Falcon 50 vs Falcon 900: how the two fleets are really flown
On all four chapters' lead measures, the gap inside each fleet is bigger than the gap between the Falcon 50 and the Falcon 900. On flights a month, the middle half of Falcon 50s runs 4–8 and of Falcon 900s 4–8; the medians are both 5.
Dassault Falcon 50 fleet statistics →Dassault Falcon 900 fleet statistics →
Fatigue
On hours per landing, the gap between the types is smaller than the spread inside either fleet: the middle Falcon 900 at 1.7 : 1, the middle Falcon 50 at 1.6 : 1.
What each landing and pressurization cycle costs the structure: landings per hour and short hops.
Hours per landing
Where the two fleets sitSide by side
Every active aircraft of each type in North America: 157 Falcon 50s and 336 Falcon 900s.| Measure | Falcon 50 median | Middle half | Falcon 900 median | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hours per landing Each aircraft’s average flight hours per landing | 1.6 : 1 | 1.3–1.9 : 1 | 1.7 : 1 | 1.5–2.1 : 1 |
| Short hops Share of legs under 300 nm | 36% | 28–49% | 32% | 24–45% |
| Leg length Median leg | 463 nm | 328–621 nm | 534 nm | 376–694 nm |
Corrosion
On salt air, the two fleets' medians match, at 1%.
What the air around the fleet does overnight: salt, damp and freeze–thaw.
Salt air
Where the two fleets sitSide by side
Aircraft we can place on enough nights at known fields: 101 Falcon 50s and 237 Falcon 900s.| Measure | Falcon 50 median | Middle half | Falcon 900 median | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salt air Nights within 2 km of the coast | 1% | 0–5% | 1% | 0–5% |
| Near the coast Nights within 10 km of the coast | 6% | 2–38% | 11% | 3–67% |
| Damp air Hours a day at 80% humidity or more, above freezing | 7.3 h | 5.6–9.4 h | 6.7 h | 5.1–8.5 h |
| Freeze–thaw Nights that froze and thawed within the day | 6% | 2–14% | 7% | 3–15% |
| Moisture in the air Average absolute humidity overnight | 9.8 g/m³ | 8.1–12.0 g/m³ | 9.5 g/m³ | 8.1–11.0 g/m³ |
Engines and brakes
On short runways, the gap between the types is smaller than the spread inside either fleet: the middle Falcon 900 at 26%, the middle Falcon 50 at 23%.
What departures ask of engines, brakes and tires: heat and height, and runway length.
Short runways
Where the two fleets sitSide by side
Departures we could assess: 157 Falcon 50s and 336 Falcon 900s.| Measure | Falcon 50 median | Middle half | Falcon 900 median | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Short runways Departures where the longest runway was under 1.25× the takeoff distance | 23% | 13–35% | 26% | 15–45% |
| Hot, high takeoffs Departures at 5,000 ft density altitude or more | 5% | 1–9% | 4% | 1–8% |
| Density altitude Typical density altitude at takeoff | 1,547 ft | 1,197–1,982 ft | 1,445 ft | 1,047–1,816 ft |
Utilization
On flights a month, the two fleets' medians match, at 5.
How steadily each fleet is used: flights, flying days and estimated hours.
Flights a month
Where the two fleets sitSide by side
Every active Falcon 50 (157) and every active Falcon 900 (336). Each type uses the tracking rule its own fleet page uses.| Measure | Falcon 50 median | Middle half | Falcon 900 median | Middle half |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flights a month In the months it flew | 5.2 | 3.7–8.3 | 5.3 | 4.0–7.6 |
| Days flown a month Days with at least one flight | 3.7 | 2.8–5.5 | 4.1 | 2.9–5.3 |
| Estimated hours a year From time in the air | ≈96 h | 67–156 h | ≈117 h | 77–163 h |
Choosing between a Falcon 50 and a Falcon 900?
Check both tails, not the types.
Enter the two tails on your shortlist. TailCheck grades each one on Fatigue, Corrosion, Engines and brakes, and Utilization against its own type, then puts them side by side.
Trip-length mix
37% of Falcon 50 legs and 35% of Falcon 900 legs were under 300 nm, a gap of 2 percentage points; 25% and 27% were over 900 nm.
| Leg length (nm) | Falcon 50 | Falcon 900 |
|---|---|---|
| <150 | 20% | 17% |
| 150–300 | 17% | 18% |
| 300–450 | 11% | 11% |
| 450–600 | 9% | 10% |
| 600–900 | 18% | 17% |
| 900–1,200 | 11% | 11% |
| 1,200–1,800 | 9% | 9% |
| 1,800+ | 5% | 7% |
Share of legs by length in nautical miles, 1 Aug 2025 – 31 Jul 2026: 9,798 legs by 157 Falcon 50s and 22,094 legs by 336 Falcon 900s, every leg with a known distance. The Falcon 50's trips bunch at <150 nm, the Falcon 900's at 150–300 nm.
Falcon 50 vs Falcon 900: on paper
Certified figures come from each type certificate data sheet, the rest from the manufacturer. Each figure names its source; a range covers the variants one page tracks together; a dash means we don’t have a source for that figure yet. We don’t have a manufacturer source for the Falcon 900 yet, so its manufacturer rows show a dash.
| Measure | Falcon 50 | Falcon 900 |
|---|---|---|
| Range (manufacturer) | 3,075 nm (Falcon 50EX)Manufacturer (spec page, Web page, captured 13 Apr 2009) | —Not in our sources yet |
| Takeoff distance (manufacturer) | 4,890 ft (Falcon 50EX)Manufacturer (spec page, Web page, captured 13 Apr 2009) | —Not in our sources yet |
| Cabin length (manufacturer) | 23 ft 6 in (Falcon 50EX)Manufacturer (spec page, Web page, captured 13 Apr 2009) | —Not in our sources yet |
| Maximum takeoff weight (certified) | 38,800–40,785 lbUK CAA TCDS UK.TC.A.00161 Issue 01, p.15 | 45,500–49,000 lbFalcon 900EX: UK CAA TCDS UK.TC.A.00161 Issue 01, p.52; Falcon 900: UK CAA TCDS UK.TC.A.00161 Issue 01, p.34 |
| Fuel capacity (certified) | 15,514 lbUK CAA TCDS UK.TC.A.00161 Issue 01, p.13 | 19,065–20,825 lbFalcon 900EX: UK CAA TCDS UK.TC.A.00161 Issue 01, p.50; Falcon 900: UK CAA TCDS UK.TC.A.00161 Issue 01, p.32 |
| Maximum operating altitude (certified) | 45,000–49,000 ftUK CAA TCDS UK.TC.A.00161 Issue 01, p.14 | 51,000 ftUK CAA TCDS UK.TC.A.00161 Issue 01, p.33 |
| Passenger seats (certified) | Up to 19UK CAA TCDS UK.TC.A.00161 Issue 01, p.17 | Up to 19UK CAA TCDS UK.TC.A.00161 Issue 01, p.35 |
Falcon 50 vs Falcon 900: questions
Which is flown more, the Falcon 50 or the Falcon 900?
The Falcon 900, by about 21 estimated hours a year: the middle Falcon 900 flew ≈117 h a year, the middle Falcon 50 ≈96 h. That is a fleet median: the middle half of Falcon 900s logged 77–163 h and of Falcon 50s 67–156 h, so one aircraft can sit far from its type. In flights, the medians are 5 a month for the Falcon 50 and 5 for the Falcon 900.
Which lands more often for its hours, the Falcon 50 or the Falcon 900?
The Falcon 50: its middle aircraft flies 1.6 hours per landing, against 1.7 for the Falcon 900, 0.1 hours fewer per landing. More landings per hour means more pressurization cycles for the same time in the air. Short hops, legs under 300 nm, make up 36% of the middle Falcon 50's legs and 32% of the middle Falcon 900's.
Which flies longer trips, the Falcon 50 or the Falcon 900?
The Falcon 900, by 71 nm on the median leg: 534 nm for the middle aircraft, against 463 nm for the Falcon 50. 37% of Falcon 50 legs and 35% of Falcon 900 legs were under 300 nm, a gap of 2 percentage points; 25% and 27% were over 900 nm.
Which spends more nights by the sea, the Falcon 50 or the Falcon 900?
About the same: the middle aircraft of both types spends 1% of its nights within 2 km of the coast. Salt air is one of the corrosion inputs a TailCheck report grades for one aircraft against its own type.
Cite this data
The Aircraft Ledger. “Dassault Falcon 50 vs Dassault Falcon 900.” Data to 31 July 2026. theaircraftledger.com/compare/dassault-falcon-50-vs-dassault-falcon-900
Embed a chart
<iframe src="https://theaircraftledger.com/embed/compare/dassault-falcon-50-vs-dassault-falcon-900/fatigue" title="Fatigue: Hours per landing" width="100%" height="360" style="border:0;max-width:960px" loading="lazy"></iframe>Method: Falcon 50s and Falcon 900s with most departures in North America, ADS-B tracking. Flight measures cover 1 Aug 2025 – 31 Jul 2026; each figure is the median of its own fleet, with the middle half (25th–75th percentile). Estimated hours from time in the air. We assume the longest runway at each field, so short-runway figures are conservative. Specifications from type certificate data sheets and the manufacturers, each cited. About our data