Falco Facts
Description
Performance
Specifications
Engineering
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Handling
1999 10th Annual West Coast Falco Fly-In
Falco Engineering
You can build it in your garage, but it wasn’t designed in one
A Falco builder once told us this story. His Falco project was due for an inspection and by chance the head of the local FAA office arrived to check the plane. After a few minutes of quietly looking over the plane, the salty old inspector suddenly broke off the inspection, got in his car and drove off. In a few minutes, he was back again with the entire FAA office in tow. He said he wanted them "to see how an airplane should be designed and how an airplane should be built"
That says it all about the Falco. This is no ordinary airplane. No ordinary engineering. No ordinary design.
The Falco was designed by Stelio Frati, the legendary Italian designer and aeronautical engineer. In addition to his formal education in mechanical and aeronautical engineering, Stelio Frati has been designing aircraft for nearly 50 years. At last count, there were about 20 different designs, and many variations of each.
The Falco was certified in Italy, and with the FAA. In the Aerobatic category – the toughest of them all.
Then the Falco was produced by three companies in Italy, with many refinements to the original design. These aircraft have a history of over 40 years of use and abuse by European pilots.
Now offered as a homebuilt, the Falco has been further refined. Improvements and changes were engineered by David B. Thurston, a well-known and respected aircraft designer and aeronautical engineer. Best known for his Lake, Teal and Seafire amphibians, Dave Thurston also has nearly 50 years of design experience.
Compare this lineage to that of other homebuilt airplanes – often designed by amateurs with no formal training in aeronautical engineering, mechanical design or practical experience. No wonder so many engineers choose the Falco.
Not only is the Falco well-engineered, it is also a superb piece of design. Many regard it as the single best example of wood aircraft design ever. It’s elegantly simple and very strong. The landing gear is capable of absorbing more than 5g’s without damage to the aircraft. There is a 40g seat belt system – standard in military aircraft, but unheard of in light aircraft.
And unlike most homebuilt, the systems of the plane have been designed in minute detail. The engine control cables are supplied in the precise length needed. The fuel lines, hoses, fittings are all worked out. So is the engine baffling. The instrument panel is supplied with all of the holes cut. Every wire in the electrical system is color-coded. And if you don’t know what coil suppression diodes are, don’t worry. That’s all part of the design.
So the Falco is not just another airplane, but a timeless classic, designed by one of the great aircraft designers of all time, refined by experienced engineers, proven over 40 years and available in a well-thought-out kit. In a sense, it’s not even a homebuilt, but a production design that you can build.
