Falco Praise

La storia Si tratta di un veloce biposto in legno nato nel 1955 per le competizioni sportive, da un progetto del celebre ingegnere Stelio Frati, e subito battezzato dagli statunitensi la “Ferrari del cielo” per la purezza di linee e le straordinarie prestazioni che ne fanno il più famoso aereo sportivo italiano di tutti i tempi. Dopo una preserie costruita a Milano, la produzione del Falco fu spostata a Trento: viste le molte richieste che la piccola Aviamilano non poteva esaudire, la licenza di produzione fu ceduta allo stabilimento industriale Caproni di Trento - divenuto poi Aeromere e in seguito Laverda - che realizzò quasi tutti gli esemplari oggi volanti, veri gioielli contesi dai collezionisti di tutto il mondo.

Falco-issimo A few translated extracts of Bernard Chabbert’s article from his excellent book “Manche et Manette”:

If you are a violinist, you've dreamed of playing a Stradivarius one day, just as pianists dream about the Steinway, vast as an aircraft carrier, on which Bernstein interpreted the Rhapsody in Blue. If you're an aviator-not just a pilot-you've wanted to fly a Falco, or you will want to some day; after having seen one, caressed it with your eyes...
From Michelangelo to Frati, the Italians are artists...
The Falco is very precisely made by the most expensive-both in man-hours and knowledge-methods known. As it happens, these methods are also the most elegant, and above all, the strongest...
You climb, you think about things like "right turn, 45 degrees bank angle," and the Falco swings right at 45 degrees. Or "level off," and zip, you're there. It doesn't obey you, it's an extension of the pilot. And it never goes farther than you ask it...
The design of this airplane dates to 1955, and not only is it an exceptional beauty, but also its performance beats everything made since...
I hold the nose high, on a slope of at least 20 degrees, and I wait for the aerodynamic cataclysm. The ball is centered. The speed falls. 105 kph. Nothing. Then suddenly there's the impression of being machine-gunned with tiny bullets-more of a vibration than a shudder. The nose comes down by itself in the line of flight and stays there. I now understand that Frati, in making this airplane, has succeeded in squaring the circle. Of course, if you yank the stick back with both hands, bawling like a logger, the Falco's going to depart like a cracked whip. But you'd have to be a little nuts, doctor...
It's a dream, this airplane. A prosthesis for flying. You don't have to know how to fly. It's enough to look where you want to go, and it goes there...
Lined up on the runway, I leave the trickle of power that seems necessary. We slide down rails. Little gusts don't even have time to tip the airplane; I kill them instantly with tiny pressures. We pass the threshold at two meters. Round out, stick back a finger's width, and I gently remove the last trace of power...
The nose rises a little, the airframe whispers, it... thump. The wheels touch. Life is gone instantly. The nosewheel descends. Touches. Nothing left but to brake...
Let's hope that lots of people keep repeating it, that it's very, very difficult to fly. Very, very vicious. Let's not hold back anything. That way, there'll be room for the others, those who know-who know that the Falco is the archetype of Airplane, without doubt one of the five or six ultimate airplanes ever built, along with the Spitfire, the Jungmeister, and.... And?
In any case, bravissimo, Signore Frati!

Arabian stallion among plowhorses
From the day it first flew in 1955, the Falco has been called "the Ferrari of the air". This Italian design is sleek, strong, agile and fast. There are two seats. Control sticks. A bubble canopy for all-around visibility. It's an outstanding cross-country plane, with thousand-mile range and full IFR capability. And fast. A few examples have even topped 230 mph--on the standard 160 hp engine.
A superb aerobatic ship, the Falco is a graceful ballerina in the sky. Cuban eights, loops, rolls, snaps and spins are only a flick of the control stick away. The agility is astonishing, and the handling is legendary. The controls are light and precise, and after pulling through a smooth series of rolls and loops, the comparison with jet aircraft becomes inevitable.
The Falco is also strong. Aerobatic certification means the Falco can easily take loads which would break an ordinary airplane. And even for pilots who always keep the wings level, it's nice to have that strength.
The Falco's proven record and engineering puts it in a class by itself. It was designed by Stelio Frati, one of the great aircraft designers of all time. It was certified as a production aircraft. It was built as a production aircraft and has a history of over 40 years of use by pilots in Europe. Now, with many refinements, the Sequoia Falco is a modern, state-of-the-art aircraft built from kits and flown by pilots all over the world.
Compared to ordinary aircraft, the Falco is an Arabian stallion among plowhorses. It is a classic, timeless design that has everything you could ask of an aircraft: looks, speed, efficiency, aerobatics, strength, and--above all--an absolute joy to fly.
The Falco. A plane for all seasons- and all time.