Further major orders were soon placed for the type by several operators, both civil and military; amongst others, these included the French Navy, the United States Coast Guard, and Federal Express.

During the 1950s and 1960s, the French government, which had taken a significant interest in the re-establishment and growth of its national aviation industries in the aftermath of the Second World War, developed a detailed request for a combined liaison/trainer aircraft, to be equipped with twin-turbofan engines.

[3] The emerging design was of a low-wing monoplane, which drew upon the aerodynamics of the transonic Dassault Mystère IV fighter-bomber, and was equipped with a pair of rear-mounted 14.68 kN (3,300 lbf) Pratt & Whitney JT12A-8 turbojet engines.

[3] According to aerospace publication Flying, while Dassault had achieved satisfactory technical progress on the Mystère 20, it was recognised even by the company's officials that the firm lacked both the sales presence and the experience to effectively market the type to English-speaking nations.

[3] Progress between Dassault and Pan Am was rapid, moving from engineering evaluations of the type to the formation of general agreements between the two companies.

[3] In response to feedback received from Pan American, the aircraft was re-engined with a pair of General Electric CF700 engines and several dimensions were increased.

Accordingly, Pan American formed an agreement with Dassault to distribute the Mystère 20 in the western hemisphere; the firm placed an initial order for 40 aircraft along with options for a further 120.

In 1973, FedEx's Falcons, designation FA-20-DC, cost $1.2 million each and were modified with a 55-by-74.5-inch forward cargo door with independent power supply, higher mtow, reinforced floor, plugged windows, and bigger brakes.

[10] During 2013, the FAA modified 14 CFR part 91 rules to prohibit the operation of jets weighing 75,000 pounds or less that were not Stage 3 noise compliant after 31 December 2015.

[citation needed] The Dassault Falcon 20 is a French business jet, often considered to be an easy to fly and relatively visually appealing aircraft.

[11] The favourable flight qualities of the aircraft meant that no need existed to incorporate a stick pusher or stall-barrier systems to achieve its predictable stall behaviour.

The controls incorporate an artificial feel system, optimising the sensations perceivable to the operating pilot to be smooth, predictable, and precise.

[17] Substantial numbers of Falcon 20s were converted into cargo-carrying configurations; a hydraulically-operated cargo door served to simplify loading-unloading operations.

[3] During the late 1950s and early 1970s, aviation businessman Frederick W. Smith was seeking an ideal aircraft with which to launch his new business, Federal Express; Smith soon identified the Falcon 20 as showing promise for his purposes, noting the availability of unsold aircraft due to an economic downturn and its atypically strong fuselage, the latter factor lending itself well to cargo operations.

[20] Originally, Federal Express intended for its Falcon 20s to be delivered post-conversion, as a consequence of funding issues, the aircraft were acquired in handfuls and independently converted from their initial passenger-carrying configuration to support their use for cargo operations.

[21] In September 1972, Federal Express established an in-house training school, focused on the preparation of ex-military pilots for commercial operations using the Falcon.

[28][2] Operationally, the HU-25 played a key role in the service's actitives in search and rescue, counter drug missions; it had also been a critical asset deployed during the 1991 Gulf War.

[29] Initial models of the HU-25 were delivered to the HU-25A standard; a number were later modified to become HU-25Bs, which were equipped with sensors capable of detecting oil spills and other environmental pollutants.

The aircraft, based at NASA's Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia, is equipped with a scanning laser altimeter to collect data on Arctic surface topography.

[37] During November 2012, a Falcon 20 became the first civil jet in the world to fly on 100 per cent biofuel when it performed a test flight for Canada's National Research Council.