The first Mystère 20 took off from an airport in Bordeaux, marking the company’s entry into the fledgling business-jet market. Test pilots René Bigand and Jean Dilliare “gave it the gas,” as one historical account recalls, taking the aircraft that would be renamed the Falcon 20 for an inaugural one-hour flight.
It was the start of a new era in business jets. Brands like Lockheed and Sabreliner were well known in the 1960s, but the Mystère 20 would soon be going head to head with a startup called Learjet in a smaller category.