BRINGING FALCON JETS TO LIFE IN LITTLE ROCK

Dassault’s top local executive dishes on Arkansas production and the new 6X

By John Callahan

Sebastian Deltheil began his career with Dassault Aviation in 2001, eventually working in production and flight engineering and splitting his time between Little Rock and Merignac, France.

In 2008, the native Frenchman was deployed full time to Arkansas.

“I loved it so much here that I decided to accept a position a few years later in 2017,” he said.

And a few more years later in 2021, he was promoted to senior vice president and general manager of Dassault’s Little Rock operations at Clinton National Airport/Adams Field, where the company’s iconic Falcon Jets are styled, outfitted and completed.

Deltheil visited with AMP about his role with Dassault Falcon Jet, why he chose Arkansas, how Little Rock is the envy of the global aircraft completion industry and the company’s impressive new Falcon 6X business jet.

AMP: Dassault’s Falcon jets aren’t manufactured in Little Rock, but some might say they are brought to life here. Tell us about the work being done at the Little Rock facility.

Deltheil: Our Little Rock facility employs nearly 1,600 people. Occupying 1.25 million square feet, Little Rock is the largest Dassault facility in the world.

Little Rock handles all phases of aircraft completions and modifications, such as instrumentation, wiring, interiors, painting, engineering and flight-testing. The aircraft are manufactured in France and flown to Little Rock, where the distinct personality of each Falcon comes to life. The Little Rock Completion Center is the main completion center for Falcon jets worldwide. It is among the best equipped and most efficient in the world – the envy of the completion industry.

Little Rock is also home to one of DFJ’s company-owned service centers, Dassault Aircraft Services (DAS). The facility is dedicated to supporting only the Falcon product line. It operates as a “one-stop shop,” servicing all Falcon models with inspections, maintenance, repairs and remodels as needed.

AMP: What can you tell us about the company’s commitment to Arkansas, and how does the Little Rock facility contribute to workforce development in the state?

Deltheil: The Little Rock Completions facility remains dedicated to supporting our local community while also focusing on our talent pipeline. Through partnerships with the Museum of Discovery, University of Arkansas Pulaski Technical College, Women’s Foundation of Arkansas and many more, we can share information about our company and spark an interest in aviation, STEM or a specific craft.

Dassault Falcon Jet combines the best craft persons in the world with innovative technology to design and build the finest cabin interiors found in any business jet. It takes a variety of skills to complete one of our aircraft, and all are necessary to continue producing the best business jets in the world.

Our Little Rock Completions facility currently has more than 60 open positions.

We offer a wide variety of careers that require different levels of education. Whether you want to begin working after you graduate high school or after you graduate college, DFJ has a career for you. We offer medical coverage for the entire family, three weeks paid vacation and many more great benefits.

AMP: The new Falcon 6X … can you tell us more?

Deltheil: The Falcon 6X is the most spacious, advanced and versatile twinjet in business aviation. With a range of 5,500 nm, and unrivaled efficiency, the Falcon 6X will fly nonstop in whisperquiet comfort from Los Angeles to Geneva.

It is the largest bodied aircraft in our fleet. We have expanded hangars, added new features to our cabinet and paint shops and created state-of -the-art engineering facilities to accompany this aircraft.

The first Falcon 6X arrived in Little Rock in 2022. There currently are three Falcon 6X aircraft at the Little Rock facility undergoing the completions process for their customers.

Here we combine the most advanced digital completions techniques — which Dassault pioneered — with a level of artisanship unrivaled in business aviation. Our aircraft are completely customizable. Each of our customers have chosen everything about their new private business jet, from the thread color in the seat’s stitching to the paint scheme on the outside.

The Little Rock facility also performs all instrumentation, wiring, interiors, painting, engineering and flight-testing for the aircraft per the customer’s request.

AMP: Why aviation, and why Arkansas?

Deltheil: I would describe myself as an aviation enthusiast as I always wanted to work around aircraft. Starting my career at a production facility in Merignac made me realize that I enjoyed being on the floor, carefully listening to and understanding the employees’ issues, either technical or human-related. Therefore, I built my career trying to stay as close as possible to the production floor.

On the personal side, I am married with three children, ages 17, 15 and 11. We enjoy visiting and traveling to discover new cultures and people. To me, this is what makes living in another country, from that of your native one, so beautiful.

As for Arkansas, hiking with family and mountain biking is a great way to spend my free time. I am also in the process of rebuilding a ’66 Ford Mustang – an iconic car of the U.S.