Falconar Golden Hawk
{{Short description|Canadian homebuilt light aircraft}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2022}}
{{Use Canadian English|date=January 2022}}
{{for|the 1952 film|The Golden Hawk}}
| {{Infobox aircraft begin
| name=Falconar Golden Hawk | image=American Aerolights Falcon XP C-IBDG 1764.JPG | caption=American Aerolights Falcon XP }}{{Infobox aircraft type | type=Ultralight aircraft | national origin=Canada | manufacturer=Falconar Avia | designer= | first flight= | introduced=1983 | retired= | status=Kits available | primary user= | more users= | produced= | number built=4 (Golden Hawk - 2001) | developed from= | variants with their own articles= }} |
The Falconar Golden Hawk is a Canadian tandem seat, pusher configuration, tricycle gear, canard-equipped ultralight aircraft that is offered in kit form by Falconar Avia of Edmonton, Alberta.Cliche, Andre: Ultralight Aircraft Shopper's Guide 8th Edition, page B-77. Cybair Limited Publishing, 2001. {{ISBN|0-9680628-1-4}}{{Cite web|url = http://members.shaw.ca/falconark/FA/goldhawk.htm|title = Golden Hawk|accessdate = 5 February 2011|last = Falconar|first = Chris|authorlink = |date=June 2007}}Purdy, Don: AeroCrafter - Homebuilt Aircraft Sourcebook, pages 153 & 155. BAI Communications. {{ISBN|0-9636409-4-1}}Downey, Julia: 1999 Kit Aircraft Directory, Kitplanes, Volume 15, Number 12, December 1998, page 47 Primedia Publications. ISSN 0891-1851Downey, Julia: 2001 Kit Aircraft Directory, Kitplanes, Volume 17, Number 12, December 2000, page 50. Kitplanes Acquisition Company. ISSN 0891-1851Downey, Julia: 2002 Kit Aircraft Directory, Kitplanes, Volume 18, Number 12, December 2001, page 37. Kitplanes Acquisition Company. ISSN 0891-1851
Design and development
The Golden Hawk traces its lineage to the American Aerolights Falcon of 1983. After Falcon production ended, three companies produced versions of the design. Team Falcon restarted production in 1998 with their Falcon 2000, Falcon East produced one with their Peregrine Falcon and Falconar Avia produced one and termed their version of the design the Golden Hawk.
The design has a composite fuselage and strut-braced wings made from aluminium and covered in doped aircraft fabric. The tip rudders and canard are also fabric-covered. The main landing gear is equipped with hydraulic disk brakes. The aircraft can be disassembled in ten minutes for ground transportation on a trailer or for storage.
The canard surface controls pitch, while roll is via conventional ailerons. Yaw is controlled with wing-tip rudders. The aircraft is advertised as spin-proof.
The Golden Hawk has been well received. Reviewer Andre Cliche described it as "a fantastic-looking aircraft that has no equal to stimulate the public's interest. Because of its futuristic looks Hollywood has used it several times in movies."
Variants
File:American Aerolights Falcon XP C-IBDG 1761.JPGs]]
File:Falcon XP AN0354108.jpg.]]
;American Aerolights Falcon
:Initial production version, introduced in 1983. Production ended by about 1984.
;Team Falcon Falcon 2000
:Improved production version introduced in 1998. Features longer landing gear to accommodate a large diameter propeller.
;Falcon East Peregrine Falcon
:FAR 103 Ultralight Vehicles category single seater with a Rotax 447 powerplant of {{convert|40|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}} and a glide ratio of 14:1.
;Falconar ARV-1L Golden Hawk
:Earlier production version, powered by a Hirth 2703 powerplant of {{convert|55|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}} or other two-stroke engines of {{convert|50|to|60|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}}.
;Falconar ARV-1K Golden Hawk
:Current production version, powered by a Hirth 2703 powerplant of {{convert|55|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}} or other two-stroke engines of {{convert|50|to|60|hp|kW|0|abbr=on}}.
Specifications (Golden Hawk)
{{Aircraft specs
|prime units?=imp
|genhide=
|crew=one
|capacity=one passenger
|length m=
|length ft=14
|length in=0
|length note=
|span m=
|span ft=34
|span in=0
|span note=
|height m=
|height ft=
|height in=
|height note=
|wing area sqm=
|wing area sqft=168
|wing area note=including canard
|aspect ratio=
|airfoil=
|empty weight kg=
|empty weight lb=500
|empty weight note=
|gross weight kg=
|gross weight lb=990
|gross weight note=
|fuel capacity=9 US gallons (34 litres)
|more general=
|eng1 number=1
|eng1 name=Hirth 2703
|eng1 type=twin cylinder, two-stroke aircraft engine
|eng1 kw=
|eng1 hp=55
|prop blade number=
|prop name=
|prop dia m=
|prop dia ft=
|prop dia in=
|prop note=
|perfhide=
|max speed kmh=
|max speed mph=130
|max speed kts=
|max speed note=
|cruise speed kmh=
|cruise speed mph=100
|cruise speed kts=
|cruise speed note=
|stall speed kmh=
|stall speed mph=40
|stall speed kts=
|stall speed note=
|never exceed speed kmh=
|never exceed speed mph=130
|never exceed speed kts=
|never exceed speed note=
|range km=
|range miles=200
|range nmi=
|range note=
|endurance=
|ceiling m=
|ceiling ft=
|ceiling note=
|g limits=
|roll rate=
|glide ratio=
|climb rate ms=
|climb rate ftmin=800
|climb rate note=
|time to altitude=
|sink rate ms=
|sink rate ftmin=
|sink rate note=
|lift to drag=
|wing loading kg/m2=
|wing loading lb/sqft=
|wing loading note=
|power/mass=
|thrust/weight=
|more performance=
|avionics=
}}
{{aircontent
|see also=
|related=
|similar aircraft=
|lists=
}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
{{commons category|American Aerolights Falcon}}
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20160303194146/http://members.shaw.ca/falconark/FA/goldhawk.htm Official website archive]
- [http://members.shaw.ca/falconark/FA/topview.htm Photo of Golden Hawk]
{{American Aerolights aircraft}}
{{Falconar Avia aircraft}}
Category:1980s Canadian ultralight aircraft