Wills Wing Falcon Explained

The Wills Wing Falcon is a family of American high-wing, single-place and two-place hang gliders, designed and produced by Wills Wing of Orange, California. The aircraft is supplied complete and ready-to-fly.[1]

The Falcon series is the best-selling glider that the company has produced and it has remained in continuous production over more than twenty years, in increasingly refined versions.[1] [2]

Design and development

The Falcon was designed as a simple, easy to fly glider for local recreational soaring, as an alternative to high performance, but harder to fly gliders. It is made from aluminum tubing, with the single-surface wing covered in Dacron sailcloth. Its wing is cable braced from a single kingpost.[1] [2]

The aircraft has been developed from the original Falcon model, through the Falcon 2, 3 and 4 versions, each in a variety of sizes, including tandem two place versions for flight training. The models are each named for their wing area in square feet.[1] [2]

All models are HGMA certified.[3]

Variants

Falcon 140
  • Small-sized model for lighter pilots, introduced in 1995. Its wing has a span of 27.91NaN1, a nose angle of 118°, wing area of 140square feet and the aspect ratio is 5.5:1. The pilot hook-in weight range is 110to. The glider model is DHV 1 certified.[1] [3]
    Falcon 170
  • Mid-sized model for medium-weight pilots, introduced in 1995. Its wing has a span of 30.51NaN1, the nose angle is 118°, wing area is 170square feet and the aspect ratio is 5.5:1. The pilot hook-in weight range is 140to. The glider model is DHV 1 certified.[1] [3]
    Falcon 195
  • Large-sized model for heavier pilots, introduced in 1994. Its wing has a span of 33.11NaN1, the nose angle is 118°, wing area is 195square feet and the aspect ratio is 5.6:1. The pilot hook-in weight range is 150to. The glider model is DHV 1 certified.[1] [3]
    Falcon 225
  • Large-sized model for heavier pilots, introduced in 1995. Its wing has an area of 225square feet.[3]
    Falcon 2 140
  • Small-sized model for lighter pilots, introduced in 2003. Its wing has an area of 140square feet.[3]
    Falcon 2 170
  • Mid-sized model for medium-weight pilots, introduced in 2003. Its wing has an area of 170square feet.[3]
    Falcon 2 195
  • Large-sized model for heavier pilots, introduced in 2003. Its wing has an area of 195square feet.[3]
    Falcon 2 225
  • Large-sized model for heavier pilots, introduced in 2003. Its wing has an area of 225square feet.[3]
    Falcon Tandem
  • Tandem model for flight training, introduced in 2003.[3]
    Falcon 3 145
  • Small-sized model for lighter pilots, introduced in 2009. Its wing has an area of 145square feet.[3]
    Falcon 3 170
  • Mid-sized model for medium-weight pilots, introduced in 2009. Its wing has an area of 170square feet.[3]
    Falcon 3 195
  • Large-sized model for heavier pilots, introduced in 2009. Its wing has an area of 195square feet.[3]
    Falcon 3 Tandem
  • Tandem model for flight training, introduced in 2009.[3]
    Falcon 4 145
  • Small-sized model for lighter pilots, HGMA certified in 2015. Its wing has a span of 281NaN1, wing area is 145square feet and the aspect ratio is 5.4:1. The pilot hook-in weight range is 120to. Improvements over the Falcon 3 include a new sail cut and layout, improved lateral stability at higher speeds and under aero towing and an optional Litestream control bar.[2]
    Falcon 4 170
  • Mid-sized model for medium-weight pilots, HGMA certified in 2015. Its wing has a span of 30.61NaN1, wing area is 170square feet and the aspect ratio is 5.5:1. The pilot hook-in weight range is 140to. Improvements over the Falcon 3 include a new sail cut and layout, improved lateral stability at higher speeds and under aero towing and an optional Litestream control bar.[2]
    Falcon 4 195
  • Large-sized model for heavier pilots, HGMA certified in 2015. Its wing has a span of 331NaN1, wing area is 195square feet and the aspect ratio is 5.6:1. The pilot hook-in weight range is 175to. Improvements over the Falcon 3 include a new sail cut and layout, improved lateral stability at higher speeds and under aero towing and an optional Litestream control bar.[2]
    Falcon 4 Tandem
  • Tandem model for flight training, HGMA certified in 2015. This is a development of the Falcon 3 Tandem that incorporates stiffer and lighter 7075-T6 aluminum leading edge spars, a higher batten density sail with speed battens, an improved sail cut with new colors and an all-laminate sail as an option. Its wing has a span of 35.81NaN1, wing area is 228square feet and the aspect ratio is 5.6:1. The pilot hook-in weight range is 185to.[4]

    Notes and References

    1. Bertrand, Noel; Rene Coulon; et al: World Directory of Leisure Aviation 2003-04, page 50. Pagefast Ltd, Lancaster OK, 2003.
    2. Web site: Falcon 4. Wills Wing. 8 March 2016. https://archive.today/20230719222852/https://www.willswing.com/hang-gliders/falcon-4/. 19 July 2023. live.
    3. Web site: HGMA Certified Wills Wing Gliders. Wills Wing Support. Wills Wing. 8 March 2016. https://archive.today/20230719222913/https://www.willswing.com/hgma-certified-wills-wing-gliders/. 19 July 2023. live.
    4. Web site: Falcon 4 Tandem. Wills Wing. 8 March 2016. https://archive.today/20230719222928/https://www.willswing.com/falcon-4-tandem/. 19 July 2023. live.

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