A closer look at Alan Jackson's Dassault Falcon 900

Alan Jackson is a world-famous country music star. The country music icon was born on October 17, 1958 in Newnan, Georgia. Jackson was exposed to different types of music at an early age, including gospel music and country music. After graduating from high school, he played for a band called Dixie Steel while also working as a construction worker.

However, when Jackson was 27, he and his wife moved to Nashville, Tennessee, the country music capital, in hopes of starting a music career. Jackson's wife Denise was working as a flight attendant when she met famous country singer Glen Campbell and asked for advice. Campbell gave Denise his business card, which boosted Jackson's career. Because of Campbell, Jackson eventually signed with Arista Records.

In 1989, Jackson began releasing music. Some of his early songs, such as Here in the real world, sometime, Dallas, And Love has you under controlmade it into the Top 40 Hot Country Songs. Jackson became a household name in the early 2000s and continued to focus on traditional country music while the majority of the community did pop country. These include the following three albums, each of which reached number one in the charts: Driving what I do And Good time.

Photo: Robert Büchel | Shutterstock

Jackson's most recent album was Where did you go?released in May 2021. He also announced his farewell tour in March 2022. Overall, however, Jackson is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, having sold over 75 million records worldwide. He has also recorded nine multi-platinum studio albums, received two Grammy Awards, received 16 Country Music Association (CMA) awards, and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2017 for over $150 million. Because of this accumulated wealth, it's no wonder Jackson owns and operates a private jet. Let's take a closer look at this unique business jet and what makes it so special.

The Alan Jackson jet

Currently, Alan Jackson operates a Dassault Falcon 900. This aircraft was built in 1992 and has serial number 116. This aircraft, registered as N782RP, has a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), owner of Real World Tours Inc. This company is based in Brentwood, Tennessee, although according to JetSpy Alan Jackson is the plane's primary operator.

Photo: Phuong D. Nguyen | Shutterstock

This aircraft is used sparingly as, according to JetSpy, the aircraft has only made 28 flights in 2024, totaling 44 flight hours. These flights used 14,000 gallons of jet fuel, producing 140 tons of CO2 emissions.

The three most visited airports for N782RP in 2024 are:

1. Nashville International Airport (BNA)
2. Palm Beach International Airport (PBI)
3. Taylorville Municipal Airport (TAZ)

About the Dassault Falcon 900

The Falcon 900 was first developed by Dassault in the 1980s. The French manufacturer expanded its successful Falcon 50 but added a third engine on top of the fuselage. Composite materials were also used to ensure the aircraft was lightweight. The first prototype completed its first flight in September 1984, over 40 years ago. It was officially launched in 1985.

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Since then, Dassault has upgraded the aircraft several times and introduced improved variants. These include the Falcon 900-B with a longer range, the Falcon 900EX with a longer range, more powerful engines and a glass cockpit and the Falcon 900EX EASy. Dassault also introduced the Falcon 900LX, which features blended winglets.

In total, over 500 Dassault Falcon 900 variants were produced. The aircraft is still in production today in the Falcon 900LX variant. Dassault later used the Falcon 900 as a starting point for its next business jet series, the Falcon 2000 family of aircraft.

Photo: InsectWorld | Shutterstock.com

The Dassault Falcon 900 is used by a wide range of operators. Many executives and wealthy travelers own and operate this aircraft as well as charter companies and partnerships. Additionally, the French Aerospace Force, Japanese Coast Guard, Nigerian Air Force and Royal Malaysian Air Force, among others, have used this aircraft to transport government officials for their governments. The Japanese Falcon 900 is equipped with a search radar and a hatch for dropping packages.

Performance data for the Dassault Falcon 900

The Dassault Falcon 900 is classified as a heavy jet due to its maximum capacity of 14 passengers. Overall, the aircraft has a quiet cabin due to its sound insulation and a low cabin altitude to increase passenger comfort. The aircraft interior cabin has the following dimensions:

• Cabin height: 1.80 m
• Cab width: 7 feet 8 inches
• Cabin length: 35 feet

In the cockpit, the Falcon 900 uses the EASy flight deck series. This avionics system includes the Honeywell Primus Epic System. Early Falcon 900 variants used three AlliedSignal TFE731 turbofan engines, each producing nearly 5,000 pounds of thrust. Later variants used the improved Honeywell TFE731 turbofan engines. These three powerful engines helped the aircraft achieve the following performance specifications: