Falcon 56
 

i recentley got a falcon 56 trough some trading. does anyone know the cg point on this plane?
it seems to be balanced now about a third of the way back on the wing.

RE: Falcon 56
 

It has an airfoiled tail. I don't remember the exact CG - I built mine in the 70's, but about 30-33% will work fine.

RE: Falcon 56
 

Magmount514 and CafeenMan, you guys have Pieces of great R/C history, the C.G. Falcon 56 brings great R/C memories to my mind, it`s nice to hear there are some 56`s still "alive". JT

RE: Falcon 56
 

Johnny - The Falcon was my first trainer. I soloed on it and eventually crashed it on top of a school. :(

RE: Falcon 56
 

I have my third one still hanging in the garage. I started with the Falcon 56. I flew it with people at the field that were flying the Senior Falcon. I flew mine with a O.S. FP .35 for many years. Mine needs a new engine because the ole FP is toast. If you built the wing flatter with high throws it would perform most aerobatic moves out there. My second one went through lots of experiments. I put JATO on it, floats, skis, skids, bomb drop, recovery chute, rocket launchers, tri gear, tail dragger, glider towing, cradle to hold glider until at altitude, and a couple of things that did not work. Hence number 3 is still living.

I had the CG at about 1/3 of the wing.

Dru.

RE: Falcon 56
 

thanks for the replys guys! i have yet to go fly this plane because of snow but i got it ready to go, mabey this weekend the snow will melt off our runway!
ive heared nothing but good things about this old plane and am looking forwart to flying it!

RE: Falcon 56
 

Falcon 56, Aero-Sport radio and K&B .40 = 1970`s Combo, "everybody had them".:)

RE: Falcon 56
 

This does bring memories, my first airplane was a Falcon 56 with a K & B .35 . At the time Pro Line single stick Comp 6 was the radio the "Top Flyer's" used where I lived so it was my first Radio. After the Falcon landed -10ft a couple times the final version was in the air until the K & B had no life left in it. I do wish That ProLine was still in my hanger.----- Jest think if someone rolled in with a 40% Edge 150cc back then.

RE: Falcon 56
 

magmount514,

If memory serves me right, the CG is right on the wing spar. (that's with an empty tank)

RE: Falcon 56
 

As stated, right on the spar.

RE: Falcon 56
 

My first was a Falcon 56 with a Heathkit Radio and an Enya .35. And a steerable nosegear brake. Which I'm still trying to find again. See my post. Help! Still sad that I gave it up when it became more repair glue than balsa and started to look more like a "Stik" Wish I'd saved the brake. Blue

RE: Falcon 56
 

The Falcon 56 was my second r/c plane back in '66. It had a K&B .23 green-head engine. The engine was so worn, you had to put straight castor oil in the exhaust to give it enough compression to start. I made my first solo with that combination, just a week before reporting to Marine boot camp. My next r/c flight was some 3 1/2 years later when I was stationed at the old Dallas Naval Air Station. Flew with a bunch of guys at North Park.

Mr Ed

RE: Falcon 56
 

33%, my dad still flies his every weekend at this CG.

RE: Falcon 56
 

the weather here in oregon has improved quite a bit.. ive did about 15 flights or so with my newly aquired plane. im not dissapointed at all. its a lot of fun to fly for sure!!
heres what it looks like, i did some penstriping on it and stuff. i made the bottom of the wing white with 5 big red dots on each side. i can definetley tell which is the top or bottom at long distances:D
http://crestviewcable.com/~angel2/finishfalcon.JPG

RE: Falcon 56
 

Wow.....I learned to fly on one of these also.....in 1975. K&B35, with a Cirrus radio. Mine still had the option of a rubber-banded rear stab, I remember just gluing it though, and it worked fine. Orange and yellow were the colors...and what an ugly plane....I did love it though. I actually had that one until 1985. I was moving into a new apartment then, and left it on the porch and someone stole it. It didnt have any of the equipment left in it though. It was a nostalgic piece of my RC history though. It will work fine for you though. Just follow what these guys are saying with CG on the spar and it will fly like a bird. Have fun, and thanks for sharing....wow....nice to hear of someone that is using classic to learn on! :)

RE: Falcon 56
 

No Falcon 56, yet, but Bob Harris here on RCU is kitting the Jr and Senior Falcons. I have the Jr and waiting for the Senior kit to be finished. Get one-Bob does great work!

RE: Falcon 56
 

wow, all these replys are great! had no idea what i had aquired when i agreed to trade for that plane...thanks to all of you for your help!!

RE: Falcon 56
 

Everything since the Falcon 56 has been a poor imitation.

RE: Falcon 56
 

I lost my Falcon just this last fall. Really liked the feel of that plane. Went straight in when a kid at the field turned on his transmitter not realizing we had the same frequency. I had it set up as a tail dragger. This was my third one. First one I started to build in 1972 when I was first getting into RC. I was shipped off to Sicily compliments of the US Navy. That kit is still in my basement partially assembled. My second one was bought second hand. Wasn't built true, and only made a few flights with that one before I rekitted it. The third one turned out to be a fun flyer. By the time I flew it, I had several hours on a flight sim, so was finally able to do the plane justice. I have another kit in the rafters of my garage that I'll get to soon.

RE: Falcon 56
 

Mine is a scratch build from original 1960s series plans.

On the CG... "on the spar" may not help much since the original and MarkII versions had a single central main spar -- you can't really tell right where the spar is once there's opaque covering on the wing. (I don't guess there's much need now that it's flown and checked out OK... but 1/3 chord should be a fine location for the Falcon's CG.)

Mag -- your plane is either a Mark II or later since it's got the reshaped fin adn rudder... and I'm thinking it's before Mark III because it's got the airfoil atabilizer. (That doesn't change the CG any because it's a symmetrical airfoil mounted parallel to the thrust line.

Fine, fine plane -- enjoy! (BTW, I have the plans (original version with the classic tail) if anybody happens to need them. I've been trying to keep the Falcons alive -- and now Lanier and others are helping.) :)

RE: Falcon 56
 

I still have one, purchased it from an auction 4 yrs ago along with a o.s. fp .40 I have since recovered it and plan on using it for my first float plane. I have the floats ready, all I need is nice weather. When I built mine I put in very little dihedral and I have it balanced rearward with full deflection on the control throws. What a blast. My buddy flew it [ he flies profile fun fly] and he was astonished with its flight capabilities. I will center the balance as per plans and switch to dual rates before I take off on water. I think the balance is behind the spare. I still have the box and plans I will go check and post again if I am right . However I was right once this year already so I probably am tripping.

RE: Falcon 56
 

I have one that my ex wife bought for me in 1974 when she still liked me. At that time, there was no RCU forums or anything like it, and in my ignorance, I sheeted the wing and horizontal stab with balsa, put fiberglass resin over the entire thing, and painted it with eopxy paint. it is HEAVY. I am currently in the process of stripping all the paint and glass resin off it (what an undertaking) and am gonna re cover it with Ultracote. Still looking for an attractive scheme for it--it is kind of a wierd shaped plane. Any ideas????????

Max

RE: Falcon 56
 

According to the plans the balance is 3 1/2" to 4" from the front of the wing this puts it to the back side of the spar plus 1/2"

RE: Falcon 56
 

A clarification (or maybe an oops?)... the versions of the Falcon56 may have gotten in my mind scrambled up... I'm not so sure anymore when spearate upper and lower spars came into use on the Falcon 56. I had said it was on the MarkII, but it may have been later.

Dr. Dave -- which version are your plans for? I see they still have the single central main wing spar.

For nostalgia buffs... here's a scan of the birdie for the tail feathers. I can't remember any longer whether he's supposed to be white or yellow, but here he is to transfer to the covering color of your choice if you need him to complete a covering job like the prototype... a shot of the tail to get the original shape, and finally how to do the linkages if you're using escapements. :) Check the nylon fabric hinges, too... much more convenient than those ol' thread hinges!

RE: Falcon 56
 

Al the plans are for the mark II and it shows a two spar wing the front one is sandwiched between two basswood strips and the rear one is balsa, it is also the rear servo mount. I still have the decals if anyone is interested.