2015 Sequoia F8L Falco Single Engine Piston Aircraft (SOLD)

Description

AIRFRAME
HOURS: 125 (+/- 5hrs)
PERMIT: Expires August 2024
EMPTY WEIGHT: 1306lbs (592kgs)
MTOW: 1880lbs (854kgs)
HANGARED: Always

ENGINE
MAKE: Superior IO320
HOURS: 99 (+/- 5hrs)
OVERHAULED: New 2017

PROPELLER
MAKE: MTV-12-C180-57

AVIONICS
Dynon Skyview Classic Panel D1000 PFD
Dynon Skyview Classic Panel D700 engine monitor
2 Axis Dynon Auto Pilot and control panel
Garmin 225a Transceiver (8·33 kHz spaced)
Garmin GTX328 Transponder
Garmin GMA 240 Audio Panel
Air Speed Indicator (ASI)
Altimeter
Integrated Pilot Aware Rosetta CAS
Vertical Power Sports breaker system
Smoke system

GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS
Crew: one
Capacity: one passenger
Length: 6.50 m (21 ft 4 in)
Wingspan: 8.00 m (26 ft 3 in)
Height: 2.27 m (7 ft 5 in)
Wing area: 10.0 m2 (108 sq ft)
Aspect ratio: 6.4:1
Airfoil: NACA 64213
Empty weight: 550 kg (1,213 lb)
Max take-off weight: 820 kg (1,808 lb)
Fuel capacity: 120 L (32 US gal; 26 imp gal)
Powerplant: 1 × Lycoming IO-320air-cooled flat-four engine, 120 kW (160 hp)

PERFORMANCE
Maximum speed: 325 km/h (202 mph, 175 kn) at sea level
Cruise speed: 296 km/h (184 mph, 160 kn)
Stall speed: 98 km/h (61 mph, 53 kn) (30% flaps)
Never exceed speed: 385 km/h (239 mph, 208 kn)
Range: 1,400 km (870 mi, 760 nmi)
Service ceiling: 6,000 m (19,700 ft)
Rate of climb: 5.00 m/s (984 ft/min)
Total fuel 120 Litres)
160 knt cruise

INTERIOR
Red leather – 9/10

EXTERIOR
Red with Black & White Trim – 8/10

The aircraft was designed by the renowned Italian designer Stelio Frati 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. The prototype was soon re-engine with a 135 hp (101 kW) Lycoming O-290-D2B, forming the basis for the initial production batch. It was originally built in Italy by Aviamilano then Aeromere & later Laverda.

The aircraft is single-engine, propeller driven & designed for private and general aviation use. The Falco was sold in kit or plan form for amateur construction by the Sequoia Aircraft Company of Richmond, Virginia from the 1980s until its closure in 2014.

The aircraft is widely considered to be one of the best handling, strongest & most aesthetically pleasing designs ever made available to home builders. Pilots sometimes refer to the Falco as “the Ferrari of the air.”

Performance includes a 175 knot cruise speed & full aerobatic capability, with an inverted fuel tank an optional item.

The Falco F8L is constructed of spruce & typically Finnish birch plywood. The structure is built from laminated spruce bulkheads & the birch plywood is used for the skin. The plywood is often softened with hot steam, formed over the various structures & glued in place. The aircraft is rated for 6g positive & 3g negative.

Reviewers Roy Beisswenger & Marino Boric described the design in a 2015 review as “a complex all-wooden construction in spruce & plywood & is therefore time-consuming to build. But the results in terms of weight & speed are remarkable, so much so that the Falco is considered a classic, with outstanding performance & handling.