| Falco F8L | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 1993 Sequoia Falco F8L | |
| Role | Homebuilt aircraft |
| National origin | Italy |
| Manufacturer | Aviamilano Aeromere Laverda Sequoia Aircraft Company |
| Designer | Stelio Frati |
| First flight | 1955 |
| Status | Production completed (2014); 10 years ago |
| Number built | 90 (2011) [1] |
| Variants | Sequoia 300, Sequoia 300, Sequoia Kodiak |
The Falco F8L is an Italian-designed lightweight 2-seater aerobatic aircraft. [2]
The aircraft was designed by the renowned Italian designer Stelio Frati [3] in 1955, with the prototype, powered by a 90 hp (67 kW) Continental C-90 engine, flying for the first time on 15 June 1955. [4] The prototype was soon re-engined with a 135 hp (101 kW) Lycoming O-290-D2B, forming the basis for the initial production batch. [4] It was originally built in Italy by Aviamilano then Aeromere and later Laverda. [5]
The aircraft is single-engined, propeller driven and designed for private and general aviation use. [1] [3] The Falco was sold in kit or plans form for amateur construction by the Sequoia Aircraft Company of Richmond, Virginia from the 1980s until its closure in 2014. [6]
The aircraft is widely considered to be one of the best handling, strongest, and most aesthetically pleasing designs ever made available to home builders. Pilots sometimes refer to the Falco as "the Ferrari of the air." [3] [7]
Performance includes a 175 knot cruise speed and full aerobatic capability, with an inverted fuel tank an optional item. [3]
The Falco F8L is constructed of spruce and typically Finnish birch plywood. The structure is built from laminated spruce bulkheads and the birch plywood is used for the skin. [8] The plywood is often softened with hot steam, formed over the various structures and glued in place. The aircraft is rated for 6g positive and 3g negative.
Reviewers Roy Beisswenger and Marino Boric described the design in a 2015 review as "a complex all-wooden construction in spruce and plywood and is therefore time-consuming to build. But the results in terms of weight and speed are remarkable., so much so that the Falco is considered a classic, with outstanding performance and handling." [9]
Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1965-66 [14]
General characteristics
Performance
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Stelio Frati was an Italian mechanical engineer and aeroplane designer. He graduated from the Politecnico di Milano as a mechanical engineer in 1943, participating in the design of the Aeronautica Lombarda AR radio-controlled wooden cantilever monoplane, powered by a single radial engine - a flying bomb/drone, flown for the first time the same year. After teaching aircraft design he became a freelance aircraft designer, being responsible for many well known aircraft designs. One of his best known designs is the Falco F8L.
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