Falcon 56 (oz2424)

 

Falcon 56 (oz2424) by Carl Goldberg 1967 - plan thumbnail

About this Plan

Falcon 56. Radio control sports model. Wingspan 56 in, wing area 558 sq in, weight 3.5lb. OS .15 engine shown.

Quote: "The bird that obeys your R/C command. Falcon 56 for .09 - .19 engines. If you're just getting into R/C, or moving along into Multi then build and fly the functional, rugged, smooth new Carl Goldberg FALCON! Every design element engineered to make the simplest,sound, attractive airplane. No unnecessary gadgetry or required skills. Builds up quickly - in half the ususal time. And in the air, what smooth response to your commands - you'll soon be an expert flyer.

Longer tail moment arm, much smoother flying.
Coil spring nose gear, coil flusjwith bottom.
Formed main landing gear
Shaped and notched leading and trailing edges.
Cleanly die-cut ribs, fuse sides, formers, etc.
Semi-symmetrial wing section.
New, simple 'Symmet-TRU' wing construction.
Tough Butrate canopy.
Complete full size plans, step by step, etc."

Update 09/07/2014: Replaced this plan with a clearer version, thanks to pd1.

Quote: "Hi Steve, The Goldberg Falcon 56 plan is one of the first ones I did. Didn't get the fuselage top view accurate. Dave Plumpe added the top fuselage view and the plan has been everywhere. I redid the plan and replaced the drawings and text between the views."

Update 07/05/2017: Added an alternate version of this plan, thanks to MarcBird. This is a slightly later revision of the plan (circa 1975) and shows a wider nose.

Quote: "Steve, Here are the plans for Carl Goldberg's Falcon 56. I looked up your current plans for that airplane, and noticed the firewall width is different than the plans I'm sending you. I imagine this means there may be other modifications between this plan and the one you already have ...I called Carl Goldberg Models sometime in the early Eighties, asking for a copy of the Falcon 56 kit plans. This was about the time CGM released the Falcon 56 Mk II (oz6155) version, with the swept-back vertical stabilizer and a different firewall area for accepting a .40 engine. These plans just predate that version, still with the straight tail, but has a wider nose and firewall to accept a larger engine than the .19 originally recommended on the earlier kits.

It seems the Falcon 56 kit plans you offer currently are an earlier version. Straight tail but narrower nose. There are some other minor differences as well, so I thought I'd send this version to you so modelers would have a choice for a particular kit version.

This can be confusing, sometimes, as Carl made small changes as needed in response to customer reports after they built and flew his designs. He would also update his kit plans to show newer radio systems as they appeared through the years. Unfortunately, he never dated his revisions, that I know of. Thank you for doing this plan library. I'll bet it involves a lot of work but is very worth it. Marc"

Direct submission to Outerzone.

See also Falcon 56 Mk II (oz6155) for the later 1981 version.

Update 14/01/2021: Added kit review from MAN, December 1967, thanks to RFJ.

Supplementary file notes

Alternate later plan version, from 1975.
Review.

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Falcon 56 (oz2424) by Carl Goldberg 1967 - model pic

Datafile:

Falcon 56 (oz2424) by Carl Goldberg 1967 - pic 003.jpg
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Falcon 56 (oz2424) by Carl Goldberg 1967 - pic 004.jpg
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Falcon 56 (oz2424) by Carl Goldberg 1967 - pic 005.jpg
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Falcon 56 (oz2424) by Carl Goldberg 1967 - pic 006.jpg
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Falcon 56 (oz2424) by Carl Goldberg 1967 - pic 007.jpg
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Falcon 56 (oz2424) by Carl Goldberg 1967 - pic 008.jpg
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User comments

Hi, Steve. I thought I would share a couple of comments regarding the Falcon 56, based on the experiences of my friends and I, back in the 1970s. The first was built 'full-house' with ailerons and a McCoy .35 up front. This was a lot more power than the airplane really needed, and the wing eventually folded after several sessions of enthusiastic aerobatics. The second Falcon came along a couple of years later. Common sense prevailed with this one, and it was built and flown with rudder, elevator and throttle control - no ailerons this time. An OS .30 RC had been ordered, but didn't arrive in time for the first flights, so we stuck a Fox .25 RC in the nose instead. This turned out to be the perfect combination. The Fox provided enough power for good takeoff and climb performance, and cruise was acceptable. Our only complaint was that the engine didn't idle very well, so we usually landed dead stick. We did try flying it with a Fox .19, and this was definitely not enough power. If I build another, it'll have the same rudder, elevator and throttle control the last one had, and I'll probably stick my 1970s-vintage OS .25 in the nose. The later Falcon 56 Mark II was strengthened to handle a .40 up front, but I've always felt that the added weight really detracted from the gentle behavior of the earlier version. Keep the weight down and the power reasonable. Thanks again for all your hard work on the site!
Moeregaard - 08/07/2014
Hi Steve, I am attaching photos of my scratch built Carl Goldberg Falcon 56, oz2424 [main pic, 004]. I have flown it using the Galloping Ghost TX with modern servos. The plane is finished with silk and brushed dope.
Bob Noll - 11/02/2021
5/30/2021
Steve, with reference to the updates of 09/07/2014 and 07/05/2017 regarding the narrow nose. In the MAN review, Dec 1967 supplement on page 4 - FUSELAGE construction – the first sentence starts with “Warning, Warning, Warning… and goes on to address the narrow fuselage with regards to larger engines. Thus, the latter changes.
Great plans site – thanks John
John Lockwood - 30/05/2021
My first R/C plane was a Falcon 56 with an Enya 19 and 3 channels of a Kraft 5 channel Sport Series for power and guidance. One other kid showed up with a Falcon powered with an OS 15 and Kraft brick 3 channel, both of our planes flew fine with the power we put in them but I don't think an .09 would work unless single channel although with current radios you could go full house and probably have an OK flyer. My plane was modified with 1"X 1/4" spruce spars and the stab incidence reduced. After a crash the nose was widened to accept an OS .30, the plane lasted a year before a failed receiver battery cell finished it off.
Douglas Babb - 03/12/2021
When the kit box says “deluxe”, it has the wider nose and a bit more hardware. My first Falcon was a deluxe from 1969 and flown in 1970 and flew with 3 channels of a four channel Orbit and OS .19.
Bob Dible - 27/05/2022
The original Falcon 56 was designed by Carl Goldberg for radio control using single channel escapement radios and perhaps up to three controls including elevator and throttle. This was in 1962 when the kit first hit hobby shop shelves and sold like hotcakes. It was recommended for .09 engines, máximum .19. It was never designed to be a fully aerobatic model like the Senior Falcon was. My first Falcon was built in 1965 with a Medallion .15 and, believe it or not, free flight. I couldn't afford RC equipment and I loved the model.
The so-called "deluxe" version was when Carl had to increase prices and so, to compensate he included accessories such as horns, links etc, The standard version did not include any accessories. The Falcon went on to become the standard RC trainer for several years and Carl had the excellent idea updating it with wider fuselage, the possibility of adding ailerons, single piece fuselage sides and other updates including the possibility of using larger engines and modern proportional radios. After Carl's passing, more modern updates took place such as swept fin/rudder and plywood structure. I still think the beauty and fine performance of the Falcon design has never been superseded by any other model. Also Carl had the cute small Junior Falcon and the larger one Senior Falcon. Very few designs have been so well conceived. Carl was a genius, no doubt. We really miss him.
EDUARDO (From Colombia)
Eduardo - 27/05/2022
Hi, This version of the Falcon 56 [pics 005-007] has been made with modifications compared to the original:
1. Wings and horizontal stabilizer were made of medium-density expanded polystyrene with balsa skin
2. The wing has no dihedral angle and its profile is biconvex. With these modifications the model surely has a more acrobatic flight and a little faster than the original. I attach the photographs.
Danilo Garcia-Hansen - 21/10/2023
Beautiful rendition of the Falcon 56, Mr. García. Concerning foam wings and tail, they always come out heavier than the balsa/ply structure. This is one of the reasons why foam wings never fully replaced built up wings. The golden rule is always: "Built them light, the lighter they are, the better they fly". Best wishes EDUARDO
Eduardo - 22/10/2023
Thank you EDUARDO for the good wishes, a huge advantage that I found when having built the wings with this material was an enormous resistance to strong impacts. I confirmed this on the first flight, which did not go well at all and I had a very complicated landing with a high impact, so much so that it broke the rubber bands that supports the wings and these were just a minor crack.
Danilo Garcia-Hansen - 23/10/2023
My pleasure, Mr. García. Foam wings SEEM to be stronger but confronting the real world, a hard crash will cause broken wings. That means that in several cases they are much more difficult to repair without increasing even more its weight, However, I do recognize the advantages of foam wings, one nice feature almost impossible to achieve in a built-up wings unless they are fully planked is that the airfoil section remains unmodified, no sagging between ribs because there are no ribs, I still say that after more than 60 years building all types of model aircraft and also after building a couple of foam wings (don't ask me when!!), I still say that built up structures have many more advantages than foam core wings. Best wishes, Eduardo
Eduardo - 23/10/2023
My dad launches his new Falcon 56 [pic 008] for the first time in 1967 just before my brother hands him the 10 channel Controlaire. I watched that plane fly countless times for the following 10 years. I wanted to save the tired old plane in 1977 but my dad had already put it in the fire. He was concerned that someone would try to fly it with it's badly oil logged fuselage and it would present a serious hazard. Oh well. I have lots of memories related to that Falcon 56. In those 10 years it never crashed and was never repaired. The silk/dope covering was showing some cracks in the later days but still quite intact. The picture was taken in Wellington Ohio USA.
Debra - 03/02/2025
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  • Falcon 56 (oz2424)
  • Plan File Filesize: 1453KB Filename: Falcon_56_Goldberg_oz2424.pdf
  • Supplement Filesize: 2106KB Filename: Falcon_56_Goldberg_oz2424_alternate_1975.pdf
  • Supplement Filesize: 7262KB Filename: Falcon_56_Goldberg_oz2424_review_MAN.pdf
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Notes

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Scaling

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