TRIAV1ATHONTROPHY

CAFEFOUNDATION

PRESIDENTBrien Seeley

VICEPRESIDENTLarry Ford

TREASURERCJ. Stephens

SECRETARYCris Hawkins

TEST PILOTCJ. Stephens

DIRECTORSFrank Braal

Crandon ElmerOtis Holt

Jack NorrisStephen Williams

Ed Vetter

CHALLENGETROPHY

AIRCRAFT PERFORMANCE REPORTSponsored and Funded by the Experimental Aircraft Association

and the Federal Aviation Administration

Falco F.8LBY BRIEN A. SEELEY, CJ. STEPHENS AND THE CAFE BOARD

LARRY FORD

The Falco F.8L is an all-wood, low-wing,2-place, side-by-side aircraft introducedin kit form in 1979 by Sequoia Aircraft

of Richmond, Virginia. It was originally de-signed by noted Italian aeronautical designerStelio Frati as a dual purpose aircraft for bothaerobatics and cross-country use. The prototypefirst flew on June 15, 1955 with a C-90 engine,the year before the Cessna 172 was born. TheFalco evolved through the Lycoming O-290 tothe O-320 engine. Approximately 110 produc-tion Falco's were built, first by Aviamilano, thenby Aeromere, and finally, in 1968, by Laverda,all Italian manufacturers.

Sequoia Aircraft in conjunction with aero-nautical engineer David B. Thurston performedextensive and detailed systems modernizationand re-engineering on the Falco. The kits, andthe elaborate list of prefabricated parts, pre-

configured systems, instructions, buildernewsletters and other product support for thisaircraft are exemplary among homebuilt de-signs. Sequoia Aircraft further distinguishesitself by offering their builders a thorough 40page Falco Flight Test Guide and a very so-phisticated performance analysis softwareprogram called Benchmark.

This wood aircraft is constructed using theadhesives Penacolite G-l 131 (also used on theBellanca's and French Robin aircraft) and/orthe more popular Aerolite glue, originally usedon the deHavilland Mosquito and later on pro-duction Falcos.

Larry Black offered his 160 hp FalcoN572AB for this APR. His careful flight testpreparations and enthusiasm were a major con-tribution to this report. Five test flights weremade in all. The first two were subjective flying

68 JUNE 1996

qualities evaluations, followed by 2flights conducting zero thrust glides.The final flight determined the stallspeeds. It should be noted that the climbrates demonstrated in these tests wereperformed at weights above those morecommonly used for this aircraft andwere made at a higher speed than thenominal best rate of climb speed. Thezero thrust glide results were incom-plete due to some technical difficultiesand are therefore omitted here.

The equipment list forN572AB in-cluded a Terra Tri-Nav C, dual TerraTX-720 comms and dual Terra TN 200navs, an Apollo GPS 2001 NMS, aDavid Clark Isocom, a Terra TM-23marker beacon receiver, a DavlronA301C digital OAT, a single channelAlcor EOT, 3 point belt/harnesses,electric flaps and landing gear, and acentral throttle quadrant.

This aircraft exhibited a high level ofrefinement and completeness with sys-tems that were all matured. The onlymodifications recommended by theCAFE Board were the addition of a re-strictor orifice in the manifold pressuresensing connector, the addition of a re-circulating fuel line from the enginedriven pump to the fuel tank, an adjust-ment of the spinner bulkhead runout,and a linkage revision to the controlstick to increase the stick forces.

In the performance tests, severaldifferent power settings were evalu-ated at approximately 10,000' densityaltitude as well as 8,000' and 6,000'density altitudes. The takeoff distance

was that observed as the ground rollfrom brake release using a short fieldtakeoff technique.

The CAFE Foundation was very im-pressed with the show quality work-manship and finish of this aircraft.

C.J. Stephens

FLYING QUALITIESREPORT

BY C.J. STEPHENSCAFE Foundation Test Pilot

This was the first opportunity for theCAFE Foundation to conduct an APRon an all wood aircraft. From the mo-ment of its arrival in Santa Rosa for

testing, Falco N572AB's show-stop-ping qualities were obvious. Everythingfrom the beautiful, taut fabric coveringof the control surfaces to the gorgeouswhite finish was done with exact preci-sion. Larry Black, the owner/builder,was justifiably proud of his work.

After a brief flight with the owner togo over the Falco's idiosyncrasies andcover special procedures, I performedthe first of two subjective evaluationllights. Otis Holt (5MO", 150 Ibs.) oc-cupied the right seat for this flight,which was conducted at gross weightwith the C.G. located 25% aft of theforward limit. 1 am 6' and 170 Ibs.

Keeping an open mind is importantwhen evaluating an unfamiliar airplane.All rumors and prejudged ideas must beignored; instead it is just what you seeand what you think about your actualexperience that arc important. Even be-fore the actual preflight where specificitems are inspected it is helpful to walkaround the plane taking in all of itslines, design features and quality ofconstruction. Then it is time to go towork and learn facts and specifics.

All of the documentation and check-lists that were presented with theairplane were excellent. A throughchecklist was laminated in plastic andwas very useful. To someone in an un-familiar airplane a quality checklistgreatly increases the comfort level ofoperation.

Upon sitting in the cockpit we discov-ered the seats to be too high, putting ourheads too close to the bubble canopy.

LARRY BLACK

SPORT AVIATION 69

This was quickly remedied by substitut-ing 1" thick cushions for the installed2.5" cushions. The problem thus solved,adequate headroom now existed for eachof us. It should be noted that the head-room would be less than ideal forsomeone over 6' tall. On the secondflight (with C.C. 25% forward of the aftlimit), Cris Hawkins (6'3", 190 Ibs.) oc-cupied the right seat and notedoccasionally touching his head on thecanopy. It did appear that room existedwithin the fuselage for lower scats to beinstalled with adequate cushions. Theseats were on rails, adjusting easily foreand aft, allowing for varying leg lengthof different pilots.

The large bubble canopy also slidvery easily on its rails and seemed tobe an excellent installation. The lock-ing mechanism was simple tounderstand and made a positive lockonce in position. The ins t rumentshroud and cowl as viewed from thecockpit sloped away nicely so as not tobe a visual obstruction on the groundor in the air.

The cockpit had a conventional lay-out. The three power levers were of thecenter mounted, color coded, lever type.Instrumentation was the standard arraywith enough gyro instruments for com-fortable instrument flying. Themarkings on the airspeed indicator werenot to my liking, with large and smalltick marks every 5 kts., but with numer-ical references only every 50 kts. (i.e.50, 100, 150). I found this took somegetting used to because of the interpola-tion required. In time, I think a pilotwould adapt to the sparseness of thenumbers. The right side rudder pedalsdid not have brakes. Though not a prob-lem, it would be a consideration shouldthe aircraft be used for instruction fromthe right seat. The control stick waslong and curved, which was a little un-usual. The grip was in the naturalposition but the stick curved away to thefloor mount to provide clearance for theseat and wing spar.

The fuel system, having a 20 gallonheader tank well forward of the C.G.,and another 20 gallon aft of the lug-gage area, required some activemanagement on the part of the pilot.Depending on the aircraft's loading, itwould be fairly easy to violate the al-lowable C.G. range by depleting mostof the fuel in one tank before switchingto the other. Normal procedure withN572AB is to take off and climb on70 JUNE 1996

Note the right side's circular air cleaner for the rear induction engine.

the header tank, then switch back andforth as needed to maintain balance.

THE SUBJECTIVE FLIGHTSAfter priming the engine with the

boost pump, it sprang to life with theenthusiasm of an Olympic athlete. Taxi-ing using the effective and positivesteering during ground maneuveringwas easy and natural. The toe brakeswere very effective.

All of the ground operations seemedstraight forward and proceeded in a log-ical fashion in accordance with thewritten checklist. Flaps were set to 15degrees for takeoff as recommended. Avery nice and well marked elevator trimwheel was set to the recommended po-sition. The magnetos checked out O.K.

with the only note being that the panel-mounted analog tachometer read 70-80rpm below the accurate digital tachome-ter. A dual function volt/amp meter hadbeen installed and worked well, provid-ing an accurate indication of thecondition of the electrical system.

Control during takeoff was positiveand I had no difficulty tracking theFalco straight down the runway centerline. Rotation was smooth and easilycontrollable to establish the 110 kts.climb speed. As was recommended, theflaps were retracted first. However,upon doing so the airplane settled no-ticeably unless elevator was used tocompensate. This probably explains therecommendation to retract the flapsfirst. Should runway contact be made insuch a situation, it would then simply

KIT SUPPLIER OWNER/BUILDER N572AB

60 80 100 120 140 160 180IAS, mph

Static longitudinal stabilitytrimmed hands-off at Va

F.8L® 21% MAC

F.8L @ 27% MAC

T-18 @ 21% MAC

W10@ 18% MAC

Cessna 152

1.5 2 2.5 3

Load in G'sManeuvering stability, Va, forward e.g.

Sequoia Aircraft CorporationP.O. Box 6861

Richmond, VA. 23230804-353-1713 FAX: 359-1618

Larry Black3945 Bucknall Road

Campbell, CA. 95008408-378-4857

DESIGNER'S INFORMATIONCost of plansPlans sold to dateNumber completedEstimated hours to build, from prefab kitsPrototype first flew, dateNormal empty weight, with IO-320 Lye.Design gross weight, with 1O-320 Lye.Recommended engine(s)Advice to builders:

$40080050

2500-35001955

1212 Ib2250 Ib

Lye. O-320, IO-320,0-360Prefabricated kits strongly recommended,follow the plans, need 28' workshop table,aerobatics requires high level proficiency

due to tendency for rapid speed build-up.

CAFE FOUNDATION DATA, N572ABWingspanWing chord, root/tipWing areaWing loading, 2250 lb/107.5 sq ftPower loading, 2250 lb/160 hpSpan loading, 2250 lb/26 ft 3 inAirfoil, main wingAirfoil, design l i f t coefficientAirfoil, thickness to chord ratioAspect ratio, span2/86 sq ftWing incidenceThrust line incidence, crankshaftWing dihedralWing taper ratio, root/tipWing twist or washoutSteeringLanding gearHorizontal stab: span/area incl rudderHorizontal stabilator chord, averageElevator: total span/areaElevator chord: root/tipVertical stabilizer: span/area incl. rudderVertical stabilizer chord: averageRudder: average span/areaRudder chord: bottom/ topAilerons: span/average chord, eachFlaps: span/chord, eachTail incidenceTotal lengthHeight, static with full fuelMinimum turning circleMain gear trackWheelbase, nosewheel to main gearAcceleration limits at 1650 IbAIRSPEEDS PER OWNER'S P.O.H., 1AS

Never exceed, VneManeuvering, VaBest rate of climb, VyBest angle of climb, VxStall, clean at 1500 Ib GW, Vs*Stall, landing, 1500 Ib GW, Vso*Flap speed, full 45°, VfGear extended, Vie

*Compare to CAFE measurements at 1900 Ib.

26 ft 3 in65/32.5 in107.5 sq ft

20.9 Ib/sqftI41b/hp

85.7 Ib/ft6422l2-l/2root, 642210tip

0.20.12-0.10

6.4NANA5.5'2.03°

directly steerable nosewheel, toe brakeselectric retractable, tricycle

106.5 in/23.4 sq ft17.6 in

106.5/9 sq ft14 in/10.5 in

50.6 in/10.9 sq ft31 in

50.6 in/5.2 sq ft18 in/11.5 in

58.2 in/10.9 in59.6 in/12.8 in

NA21 ft 9 in

7 f t 6 i nest. 25ft6ft 10 in

59 inlimit load +61-3 G's

208.5 kt/240 mph122kt/140mph91 kt/105 mph

NA*56 kt/65 mph*50 kt/58 mph87 kt/100 mph

108.5 kt/125 mph

SPORT AVIATION 71

Larry Black built all of the wood parts in his Falco, compound curving the fuselageskins from flat plywood.

Clockwise from upper left, owner Larry Black, CAFE Board Members Otis Holt, SteveWilliams, Brien Seeley and Ed Verier.

be a touch down and not a prop strike.Landing gear retraction employs an

electric motor driving a worm gear andflex cable arrangement. Once the upcycle was complete, it was recom-mended that the manual drive handlebe engaged and given the last turn ortwo to firmly close the gear doors. Thiswas a fairly cumbersome operation toperform just as the climb was being es-tablished and traffic pattern demandswere high.

Field of view over the nose and inall directions during the climb was ex-cellent. The outside air vent providedplenty of fresh air for cooling. The72 JUNE 1996

heater was excellent for cabin heat aswell as providing two very nice outletsfor windshield defog.

STATIC LONGITUDINALSTABILITY

I used a hand held stick force gaugeto take measurements throughout theentire level airspeed envelope. The re-sults appear in the accompanyingtable. It was necessary to use a slightdescent to obtain the data at 160 kts.Note the flattening (then reversal) ofstick force as the speed reached theslow end of the test. Each time the

Cowl exits and nose gear well.

CAFE TEST SUMMARYVmax Cruise * . . . . . . . . . . . 208.5 mphRate of Cl imb**. . . . . . . . . . . . 885 fpmStall Speed*** . . . . . . . . . . . . 67.6 mphTakeoff Distance****....... 990 feetCabin Noise Level, Cruise... 96.0 dBA

*81.9% power, 11.9 gph, 2656RPM, 23.2" M.P., 1895 Ib, 8149'density altitude.

**2500'-3500' Std. Day, 2669 RPM,125 CAS, full throttle, 1955 Ib,see text.

***Atl960lb****44° F and 1974 Ib takeoff

weight, no wind

speed was reduced to below 100 knotsan exhaust smell was observed in thecockpit.

DYNAMIC STABILITYPitch doublets were induced with

stick inputs to examine natural dy-namic stability. The data was recordedusing both the stick fixed and stick freemethod. The Falco, like all of the otherhomebuilt aircraft tested thus far by theCAFE Foundation, exhibited a veryhigh level of dynamic stability, withexcellent damping and no overshoots.

TRIMThere were no provisions to trim the

Falco for aileron or rudder in flight.However, there was a very adequate

ROLL RATE, deSpeed, IASRV-6ATailwindWIOCessna 152Mustang IIThorp T- 18Falco F.8L

grees/ secondVa80474772na43

l.SVso364534na60na

Falco F.8L, N572ABEstimated Cost: $42,500 total cost including materials, engine,

prop, instruments and radios.Estimated hours to build: 6000 hours in 168 months

Completion date: 1994

SPECIFICATIONS

Rates include the aileron input time.

elevator trim system that providedsufficient control throughout the entirenormal airspeed envelope.

MANEUVERINGSTABILITY

The maneuvering stability graphshows how the stick force compares toother airplanes analyzed by the CAFEFoundation. As you can see, the stickforces are very light. Although thismakes the Falco a joy to fly, care mustbe taken to use very light elevator in-put force to prevent excessive G-loadsduring maneuvering flight.

The Wittman Tailwind W10 is theonly other aircraft thus far measuredwith similarly light stick forces.

SPIRAL STABILITY

This was examined by setting up alevel trimmed turn, releasing the con-trols, and recording the bankingtendencies exhibited. During all at-tempts in both directions neutral spiralstability was experienced. The Falcorequires such light control forces tochange bank angle that the stick break-out force itself influenced rollresponse during the spiral stabilitycheck. By that I mean that just thefriction within the system was enoughto influence which way the planewould bank when the controls werereleased.

ROLL RATES

Roll rates and stick forces wererecorded with full deflection at both91 kts. and 120 kts. The stick force in-creased noticeably from 4 Ibs. to 10Ibs. as the I AS increased from 91 kts.to 120 kts. The feed-back force wasthe same amount in both directions.

Empty weight, with oil/gross wt.Payload, full fuel, normal categ.Useful load, normal categoryENGINE:

Engine make, modelEngine horsepowerEngine TBOEngine RPM, maximumMan. pressure, maximumTurbine inlet, maximumCyl head temp., maximumOil pressure rangeOil temp., maximumFuel pressure range, pump inletWeight of prop/spinner/crankInduction systemInduction inlet areaExhaust systemOil capacity, typeIgnition systemCooling systemCooling inlet areaCooling outlet area

PROPELLER:MakeMaterialDiameterProp extension, lengthProp ground clearance, full fuelSpinner diameter

Electrical systemFuel systemFuel typeFuel capacity, by CAFE scalesFuel unusableBraking systemFlight control systemHydraulic systemTire size, main/noseCABIN DIMENSIONS:

SeatsCabin entryWidth at hipsWidth at shouldersHeight, seat to headlinerBaggage capacity, rear cabinBaggage door size

Approved maneuvers:

CENTER OF GRAVITY:Range, % MACRange, in. from datumEmpty weight e.g., by CAFEFrom datum locationMain landing gear moment armNosewheel moment armFuel moment arms front/rearCrew moment arm

1321.05 lb/2250 Ib, 1650 Ib for aerobatics929 Ib

690.3 Ib

Lycoming, IO-320 B1A160BHP2000 hr

2700 RPM29 in Hg

NA500'F

25-100 psi245° F

-2.0-35.0 psiNA

Bendix RSA-5AD1 fuel injection, rear inlet6.75 sq in

2 into 1 crossover, stainless, 1.75" O.D.8qt, 15W-50

Slick 4373 R and 4373 L with 25° advancepilot inlets, downdraft

90sqin35.5 sqin

constant speedHartzell HCC-2YL-1BF/F7663-4

aluminum72 in

integral to hubNA

14 inPrestolite: P/N ALY8403L5 alternator

1 tank in forward fuselage, 1 tank in rear91 octane

fwd: 120.4 lb/20.06 gal, rear: 118.3 lb/19.72 gal3oz

Cleveland discs, single calipersticks, push-pull tubes, rudder/elevator cables

NA5:00 x 5/ 11 x 4.00-5 Cheng Shen

sliding canopy40 in42 in

NA90 Ib

NAno negative g maneuvers. Chandelles and lazyS'sat18801b. Rolls, loops, Immelman's and spins can bedone at approved speeds at 1650 Ib weight. Snapped

maneuvers if below 105 kts at 1650 Ib or less.

19% to 30% MAC68.5-74.8 in

65 infront face of crank-prop flange

84.75 in25.687 in

44.8/128.4 in85.2 in

SPORT AVIATION 73

SAMPLE C.G. CALCULATION, Falco N57Aft sample item

Main gearNose gear

PilotPassenger

Fuel, front tankFuel, rear tankOil, included

BaggageTOTALS

Gross WeightEmpty Weight

Empty Weight e.g.e.g. range, inchese.g. range, % MAC

e.g. in inchese.g. in % MAC

Weight879.4441.7170.0170.012.0

120.00.0

65.01858.1

22501321.05

6568.5"- 74.8"

19% - 30%74.2 in.

29%

Arm84.825.785.285.244.8128.421.6109.974.2

Moment74529.211346.014484.014484.0537.6

15408.00.0

7143.5137932.3

Forward sample itemMain gearNose gear

PilotPassenger

Fuel, IbFuel, rear tankOil, included

Baggage

Gross WeightEmpty Weight

Empty Weight e.g.e.g. range, inchese.g. range, % MAC

c.g. in inchesc.g. in % MAC

'OAR '':••>•]•• • ' • • } • • ! : :£.t\D ' • • ' ' - '

Weight879.4441.7170.00.0

125.060.00.00.0

1656.1

22501321.05

6568.5" - 74.8"

19% - 30%68.6 in.

19%

Arm84.825.785.285.244.8

128.421.6109.968.6

Moment74529.211346.014484.0

0.05600.07704.0

0.00.0

113663.2

STALLS

The stall characteristics demon-strated by the Falco were comfortablebut quick, requiring a light touch onthe part of the pilot. On each stall theright wing would drop slightly as theplane abruptly stalled and the nosedropped. A mild aerodynamic buffetcould be felt through the control stickjust prior to the stall itself. An elec-tronic warning was installed andwould activate at 8 kts. prior to stallduring clean stalls but did not activateat all during the landing configurationstalls. Stall recoveries were positiveand immediate upon the relaxing ofthe back stick force and reducing theangle of attack. The airspeed indicatorin N572AB's panel showed that thestalls to occur at the following IAS:

Fwd C.G., clean config: 65 kts.Aft C.G., clean config: 66 kts.AftC.G., landing config: 60 kts.These should be compared to the

values measured by the CAFE Baro-graph in the table of CAFE MeasuredPerformance. (Altitude loss duringstall peaked at 78 feet per second witha worst case demonstrated total loss of448 feet prior to recovery in stalls per-formed by the owner with the CAFEbarograph monitoring altitude.)74 JUNE 1996

CAFE MEASURED PERFORMANCEPropeller static RPM, full throttle 2668 RPMTakeoff distance, ft, 120' MSL, no wind, 1974 Ib., 44° F. 990 ft.Liftoff speed, per barograph data, CAS, 1974 Ib., 44° F. 77.9 mphTouchdown speed, barograph, CAS, 1945 Ib., 67.5° F. 76.8 mphMax. rate of climb, 2500ft-3500ft Std. day, 2669 RPM, 125 CAS,

full throttle, 1955 Ib (Note: Vy = 105 CAS) 885 fpmMax. rate of climb, 2650 RPM, 10,000 ft Std day 122 CAS,

1948 Ib, 21.4" M.P., 11.2 gph 552 fpmNoise level, full power climb/75% cruise 96 dBA/96 dBACruise speeds: CAFE barograph # 3, 11/25/95

8102' density, 75%, 21.8"/2588 RPM/10.4 gph/1907 Ib 195 mph8104' density, 65%, 20.772298 RPM/9.0 gph/1903 Ib 178 mph8049' density, 55%, 19.9"/2011 RPM/8.0 gph/1899 Ib 158 mph8149' density, 81.9%, 23.2"/2656 RPM/11.9 gph/1895 Ib 208.5 mph10,022' density, 77%., 21.8"/2650 RPM/11.4 gph/1916 Ib 203 mph10,220' density, 67.5%, 20.1"/2365 RPM/9.5 gph/1913 Ib 177.8 mph10,319' density, 50.6%, 15.5"/2367 RPM/8.1 gph/1912 Ib 154.8 mph6,138' density, 81.3%, 25.3"/2650 RPM/11.0 gph/1884 Ib 212.6 mph

Triaviathon score 39.8Stall speed, Vso, CAS, 1 g, level, 1948 Ib, 1530 RPM, dirty 67.6 mphStall speed, Vsl, CAS, 1 g, level, 1950 Ib, 1620 RPM, clean 70.7 mphPeak CHT in climb 428 ° FPeak oil temp in climb 182.4 ° F

TRAFFIC"PATTERN/LANDINGS

After a very busy hour and a halfspent rigorously working through the

flight test protocol, the return flight tothe field finally offered a chance to re-lax, enjoy, and become one with theaircraft. By the time we reached thetraffic pattern area, I had acquired a

ABOUT THE OWNERLarry Black was born in Sault Saint Marie, Michigan in 1939. As a small

child, he was fascinated with airplanes and spent many hours building mod-els. He had his first airplane ride at age 5 in an Aeronca Champ.

In 1962 he began flying lessons in a J-3 Cub. He bought his first airplane,a Piper PA-16, shortly after getting his pilot's license. After owning a Bel-lanca 230 Cruisemaster, Larry built a Cavalier.

In 1972 he first learned of the Falco from an article in Air Progress maga-zine. He spent the next few years attempting to design his own version of theaircraft. After many drawings, trips to the library and study of existing de-signs, Larry rejoiced when Alfred Scott began marketing the Falco Kits in1979. He quickly signed up as one of the first Falco builders and began hisFalco project in 1980. Larry built his F.8L without the benefit of many of thepre-fabricated parts now available, having to build all his own jigs fromdrawings. This greatly added to the time spent on the project but was neces-sary to meet his strict budget requirements.

Larry spent many years working in the automobile body shop business astechnician, manager and owner before going to work for State Farm Insur-ance Company as an instructor in claims evaluation. The many buildingskills he employed on the Falco were acquired during the years of experiencein auto repair.

Larry's Falco won Best Homebuilt Award at Watsonville last year. Whenasked if he'll ever build another aircraft he replied, "Don't want to, don'tneed to. I just love this airplane."

high comfort level with the Falco.Field of view was excellent during

the return and descent. The low wing

and easy maneuvering made it excep-tionally easy to see and avoid trafficwhile maneuvering for pattern entry.

The Falco's clean aerodynamics al-lowed the plane to carry good speedthroughout the descent.

Again during the gear extension itwas recommended that the hand crankbe operated to ensure snug full exten-sion. This is quite distracting during atime when the cockpit work load is thehighest at a busy airport. One notice-able feature of the design is a rapidairspeed bleed-off when the gear andinitial landing flaps are extended. As aconsequence, the pilot is manuallysnugging the landing gear down just asthe airspeed is dissipating more rapidlythan expected. I feel this would requirespecial emphasis in training and rigiddiscipline to prevent difficulties, espe-cial ly for a low-time pilot. Asignificant power increase is requiredwhen transitioning from level cleanflight to landing configuration to over-come the added drag of flaps and gear.

All other events in the traffic patternseemed to be well within the normalexpectations. The approach and flareare very straightforward. I chose tocarry a little power until just prior totouch down and found it very easy toconsistently make nice landings. Thelanding gear has a firm feel when it

SPORT AVIATION 75

DimensionsLength. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21'9"Height . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7'6"Wing S p a n . . . . . . . . . . . . 26'3"Aspect rat io . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6.4Wing Area. . . . . . . . 107.5 sqft

Airfoil, whig root. 64,212-1/2Airfoil, wing tip . . . . . . 64,210Airfoil, tail group . . . . . 65009Dihedral . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5°Whig Washout.... . . . . . . . . 3°

touches down and it tracks verystraight down the runway.

CONCLUSIONSThe Falco presented to the CAFE

Foundation through the generosity ofLarry Black was an exceptionally wellmade airplane. It was built using qualitymaterials and constructed in an outstand-76 JUNE 1996

ing fashion. The nose wheel feature of-fers a real advantage to pilots who preferto avoid tailwheels and their inherentdifficulties. The Falco is a relativelycomplex airplane with retractable gear, aconstant speed propeller and a fore/aftfuel system that requires some manage-ment. Although it is not a difficultairplane to fly I believe it is best suitedto the more experienced pilot ^

IMPORTANT NOTICEEvery effort has been made to

obtain the most accurate informa-tion possible. The data are pre-sented as measured and are subjectto errors from a variety of sources.Any reproduction, sale, republica-tion, or other use of the whole orany part of this report without theexpress written consent of the Ex-perimental Aircraft Association andthe CAFE Foundation is strictlyprohibited. Reprints of this reportmay be obtained by writing to:EAA, Sport Aviation, P.O. Box3086, Oshkosh, WI, 54903-3086.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTSThis work was supported in part

by FAA Research Grant Number95-G-037. The CAFE Foundationgratefully acknowledges the assis-tance of Anne Seeley, Mary Vetter,EAA Chapter 124, the SonomaCounty Airport FAA Control Tow-er Staff, and several helpful peoplein the engineering department atAvco-Lycoming, Hartzell Propel-lers, and John Schwaner at Sacra-mento Sky Ranch.

SPONSORSExperimental Aircraft AssociationFederal Aviation AdministrationAircraft Spruce & Specialty Co.Aerospace Welding Minneapolis, Inc.Fluke CorporationB & C Specialty CompanyEngineered Software "PowerDraw"Bourns & Son SignsJohnny Franklin's Muffler ShopSam Davis at Tube TechnologiesFactory PipesAeroLogic's Personal SkunkWorks Software

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The CAFE Foundation:A Non Profit, All Volunteer,

Tax-exempt Educational Foundation4370 Raymonde Way, Santa

Rosa, CA 95404.707-526-3925 FAX 544-2734

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