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Aviation History
1956
1956 - 1591.PDF
FALCO F.8L A very fast and fully aerobatic two-seater, the little Falco F.8L is in production near Milan. The cockpit view, left, shows instruments and radio, with electrical control panel at left. Engine, fuel and trim controls are on the central pedestal and shelf. THE Italian Aviamilano Falco F.8L, with the 140 h.p. engine,is derived directly from the prototype F.8 with the 90 h.p.engine. It differs from it not only in having greater power, but also in increased size and comfort, in greater stability, and inother ways. The engine is a Lycoming 0-290-D2B, giving 140 h.p. at 2,800 r.p.m. and a maximum continuous power of 135 h.p. at2,600 r.p.m. Seating is for two, side-by-side, under an entirely transparent plastic sliding canopy. The nosewheel undercarriageis electrically retractable, with a mechanical stand-by; later air- craft have complete fairing doors, resul ing in increased cruisingspeed. Full blind-flying instrumentation, V.H.F. radio and A.D.F. can be fitted. There is ample luggage space. From the cockpit the pilot's visibility is complete throughoutthe 360 deg circle, and a darkened central portion of the canopy gives good sun-shielding for both occupants. Seat harness isfitted (the F.8L is fully aerobatic) and the canopy structure offers adequate overturning protection. Levers and switches are allwell placed and clearly marked and come easily to the hand of a s:rapped-in pilot. The nosewheel is steered from the rudder pedals and bothmainwheel hydraulic disc brakes are applied together by a heel pedal betwesn the rudder pedals. A catch locks the brakes forparking. Taxying with precise directional control is very easy. The electrically actuated flaps can be set at any angle down to50 deg, the 20 deg setting being recommended for take-off; trim is set neutral. At 31 m.p.h. the nosewheel is raised and themachine unsticks cleanly at 56 m.p.h. At full load the rate of climb settles down to between 1,180 and 1,380 ft/min. Duringthe climb and in all other conditions static and dynamic stability, with stick both held and free, is excellent. The best full-powerclimbing speed is about 84 m.p.h.; at lower speeds engine cooling does not deteriorate. Stalls, both in level flight and at accelerations as high as 4g,are straightforward, clearly denned and are not accompanied by dropping of a wing. In all configurations distinct and increas-ing vibration denotes the approach of the stall. In the landing configuration the stalling speed is about 49 m.p.h. Duringtesting, some 5g were registered on touch-down. No damage at all was caused. Control and stability remain excellent at speedsjust above the stall. The Falco will spin only if made to do so; and after five turns to right or left it will recover immediately ifthe controls are simply centralized. Elevator trim, controlled by a knurled wheel on the floor between the pilots, is effective; andtrimmed speeds correspond to the requirements of the inter - naJonal C.A.R.3 specifications. At the Falco's ceiling, above 16,400ft, dynamic and staticstability in all three axes remains good, even at accelerations of 3g to 4g and at different trimmed speeds. Decreased tempera-tures at altitude have no adverse effects on the controls in terms of increased friction or break-out forces. Trials of rate of roll,induced roll, crossed controls and other qualities have given entirely satisfactory results. In straight and level flight the true production aircraft^ withundercarriage fairing doors, flattened (instead of bulged) canopy- ridge contour and other refinements, has exceeded 200 m.p.h. Ina dive it has exceeded 250 m.p.h. without trouble. During the Grand Prix de France I covered the 145 miles between Biarritzand Toulouse in 46 min 43 sec, an average speed of 190 m.p.h. timed from unsticking to overflying the finishing line. This waswith a Falco without fairing doors and with the bulged canopy which has since been abandoned because it caused some tur-bulence. This performance was officially measured by the Aero Club of France officials and was achieved without a tail wind.Corrected to allow for take-off and climb our level speed was in fact 196 m.p.h.; and the airframe refinements mentioned abovewould easily give a further increase of 6 to 9 m.p.h. Aerobatics in the Falco are pleasant and present no difficul-ties. Inverted, it remains controllable and glides easily. Par- ticularly fine proof of the Falco is the demonstration given byEttore Wengi, a well-known Falco owner. He concludes with a dive to ground level at about 235 m.p.h., followed by a 4g pull-upand a long series of upward rolls. After five or six of these the aircraft is well over 3,000ft up. On the landing approach, the nose-down trim changes causedby lowering undercarriage and flap and reducing power can easily be held on the stick or trimmed out. All-round visibility isexcellent and response to small alterations of power is immediate. The best approach speed is between 71 and 78 m.p.h. and theelevator remains very effective up to the last moment. Changes of configuration are never difficult and the transitionfrom the landing to the climbing condition is simple by virtue of the aircraft's power and stability. Horizontal and vertical accelera-tion are considerable and more than sufficient even when opening up from speeds as low as 6 m.p.h. above the stall. As a measure of landing performance the figures establishedduring the Grand Prix de France are worth quoting. At Biarritz, with the early machine described above, I stopped 752ft aftercrossing the 9ft lOin obstacle, with a g-meter reading of 1.4g on touch-down. This indicates a normal gentle landing; and I wascarrying a 68 lb extra load. Altogether I feel that the Falco can be considered as perfect inits category. It is easy to fly, safe, strong and fast, and is stressed for full aerobatics with two people and 176 lb of fuel—almost upto the gross weight of 1,540 lb. With two people and 88 lb of baggage it has a useful range of 750 miles. This aircraft hasreally captivated all the pilots who have so far flown it, and I believe it has a great future before it. Vico ROSASPINA Span 26ft 2 in Length 21 ft4in Wing area 107.6 sq ft
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