Senior Falcon (oz6137)
About this Plan
Senior Falcon. RC sport model. Discontinued kit.
Quote: "Attached the Senior Falcon by Goldberg. No formers but they can be worked out from the plan. This was the larger version of this extraordinary airplane designed by the genius Carl Goldberg. It is important to make the wing spars with hardwood, NO BALSA HERE. Stable, aerobatic and very forgiving as a secondary trainer or a sport model."
Direct submission to Outerzone.
Update 20/10/2016: ribs and stab files added, thanks to DougSmith.
Update 01/10/2018: Added kit review from Model Aircraft, May 1965, thanks to RFJ.
Quote: "Special Radio Control Feature: WE TEST THE Senior Falcon.
OUR Assistant Editor has been flying single-channel for some 4-1/2 years and, after much pondering, decided to approach multi via the Goldberg Sr Falcon as it seemed to have all the desirable qualities - plenty of wing area (810 sq in) and a stable-looking layout.
Being in the happy position of not having to 'go it alone' from scratch, full-house gear was installed at the start, the object being to learn to fly multi the safe way - in short stretches at a comfortable height - the model having been first checked out by the Editor himself and tuition periods being on a 'pupil and instructor' basis. This is definitely the ideal way to learn to fly!
Building the airframe: As we said in our Christmas 1964 issue, the Sr Falcon is one of the most thoroughly prefabbed kits we have had on our building-board. Constructionally, the model goes together extremely smoothly, though we made one or two minor mods. to satisfy personal preferences. The main one of these was the addition of 1/16 in ply nose-doublers, the whole depth of the fuselage, as we did not care for the idea of gluing the bearers direct to the relatively soft 1/8 balsa fuselage sides. We also faced the fuselage bottom to a point just aft of the rear servo position with 1/16 ply so that the servo board could be bolted through the fuselage bottom, from the outside, and be easily removable for transferring to our next project - a multi slope-soarer. We used Spray-stick aerosol contact adhesive for these large areas of ply and found it much easier than trying to spread a uniform layer of adhesive from tube or bottle.
Special care had to be taken in the alignment of the fuselage sides when joining them, since the in. ply doublers around the wing position did not take the required curve so readily as the balsa and tended to distort the sides aft if not constantly watched during assembly.
We liked the method of wing construction very much - the 'Symmet-Tru' automatic jig system obviated all the usual warp worries - although it did seem a little strange having no leading-edge sheeting to do. The massive pieces of shaped, notched leading-edge were, unfortunately, not at all well matched in our particular kit - one being medium and one really rock-hard. The result was that we had to use all the lighter material (main spar, rear spar, trailing edge and aileron) on this side to make the wing balance, and still had to adjust by hollowing the tip more than the other. However, we finally came up with a nice strong, warp-free structure.
The power pack was presumably intended to be built-in, as there is merely a small hole in the former for the leads and, as it is obviously desirable to seal the fuel-tank compartment, there is no access from above. We cut an 'arch' at the foot of the former so that our DEAC 500 pack could be removed for transfer to another model - as is the rest of the gear, switches being omitted in favour of a 4-pin plug, so that there is no 'built-in' wiring in the model at all.
A strong-looking steerable nose-wheel unit is supplied but we were rather mistrustful of the apparently somewhat crude spring-arm link-age. We need not have been: it has proved very effective, though silver-soldering would obviate joint-failure from heavy knocks.
After several years of single-channel experience we are used to having lots of room around the Rx for plenty of foam rubber and were quite aghast at the small size of the receiver compartment..."
Update 26/03/2020: Added kit instructions, thanks to Reinhard.
Update 31/03/2020: Replaced the instructions file with a much clearer scan, thanks again to Reinhard.
Supplementary file notes
Instructions.
Ribs and stab files.
Corrections?
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(oz6137)
Senior Falcon
by Carl Goldberg
from Carl Goldberg
1964
69in span
IC R/C Kit
clean :)
formers unchecked
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Submitted: 20/11/2014
Filesize: 2450KB
Format: • PDFbitmap
Credit*: Edubarca, pd1
Downloads: 9881
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User comments
You were right Steve, I tried another download and it worked fine. The Senior Falcon is a real classic and the best of the Falcon series. I recently flew one of the ARF versions and was amazed at how well it flew, sooooo much better than some of the crap we get these days. I still have a set of Jr Falcon plans that I carefully traced (in ink) from the drawing we borrowed from the kit when it first came out about 1962. My buddy, Joey Richards, worked after school at a drugstore where model supplies were sold. He borrowed the plans so we could build the model, not being able to afford the $3.95 kit price. I never finished mine but did fly other versions of the plane with Cox 049 and escapement, all flew well. Thanks to your site I now have the complete Falcon plan set, would make good electric conversions....DougSmith - 27/12/2014
Does anyone have any tracings for the tail ribs for the tail on the Goldberg Senior Falcon?
MikeBohannan - 19/10/2016
Maybe this file will help [see supplementary files]. I cropped the stabilizer view from the plan, then measured the length of each rib and drew a new set, used the center rib thickness ( 1") from the fuselage view. It's a little funny the way it's built, leading edge and trailing edge are the same thickness from root to tip, but the ribs seem to be tapered a bit. Might be a good idea to cut them a little thick and sand them to final shape once the stab is assembled. I didn't like the little tabs on the ribs, just block up the leading and trailing edge when assembling. I made each rib a little long in the front to fit into the slot shown, your choice. I'm not a fan of Goldberg's center spar but if you want to be authentic, you have to go with the plans. Be sure to set your printer for no scaling when printing, ribs are on an 8-1/2" x 11" sheet. I've included a stab plan so you won't have to cut up your plans. Good luck...
DougSmith - 20/10/2016
Senior Falcon on floats, built from Goldberg kit, K&B 61 engine, Futaba radio, (1983) [more pics 004].
JesusAbellan - 28/02/2017
Added a couple more vintage pics, thanks to Andy Coutts [more pics 005, 006].
Mary - 07/04/2017
These are my Senior Falcon photos [more pics 007-010].
IMadeSupena - 15/05/2017
Besten Dank fur die Bereitstellung des Downloadplans. Im Anhang sende ich ihnen 4 Fotos von meinem SR Falcon [model photo & more pics 010-012]. Bausatz und weitere Fotos unter: http://www.modellbau-weibel.ch/crbst_26.html (Thank you for providing the download plan. In the attachment I send you 4 photos of my SR Falcon. Kit and more photos at: http://www.modellbau-weibel.ch/crbst_26.html)
MartinWeibel - 15/05/2019
Maiden Flight SR Falcon 18.05.2019 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LKq93rBvT8&t=68s
Martin Weibel - 21/05/2019
Hello, lately I got a "Senior Falcon" construction kit. Plan balsa and other woodparts ok, but the building instruction is missing ! The plan shows early proportional R/C-equipment...anyone there to help me with a pdf-version ? Thank You.
Reinhard Lehmann - 21/12/2019
Hi Reinhard, The Senior Falcon was my first multi RC model way back in 1967. First flight when the Beatles were launching Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band. Had a Merco .49 and old, green Micro Avionics RC.
As far as I recall, no Goldberg kit included separate building instructions. He had the good idea of including several small sketches all over the plan clearly explaining the assembly. If your Senior plan shows proportional equipment installation, it means it was perhaps the second or third production run when Goldberg updated several of his models. The original Sr. Falcon had reeds equipment. He also modified the wing structure after some complaints of wing failure. He added to the spars a top and bottom hardwood longeron to strengthen the wing. Goldberg was a real genius and was always ready to listen his customers when they wrote to him with any problems or complains with his designs. We really miss him!!
Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and good luck with your Falcon. Greetings from Colombia.
Eduardo Barriga - 21/12/2019
Hello, my Sr.Falcon is nearly ready for maidenflight. Only engine and RC are missing.... Many greetings from Germany
Reinhard Lehmann - 18/03/2020
Hello ! This is my Senior Falcon ! [more pics 014-020] Maiden flight 9th of May 2020 ! Some modifications were necessary... But it flys ! Many Greetings from Germany.
Reinhard Lehmann - 11/07/2020
Hello ! Great pity ! My Senior Falcon crashed today ! Most likely caused by akkubreakdown....
Reinhard Lehmann - 19/12/2020
Which angle of incidence to datum line do you fix to Senior Falcon? My Falcon fly like tail-heavy at 120 mm center of gravity?!
okta - 11/04/2021
If your Sr Falcon flies like it's tail heavy, it IS tail heavy. Looking at the plans, the CG certainly looks tail heavy. Most Falcons I remember balanced about the main spar. Look at the smaller Falcon 56 which shows a more forward CG. But how do we check for proper balance in the air? Here's how I do it. Get it trimmed out for level flight full throttle, then chop it to idle and watch. It should drop the nose slightly to a stable glide. If it drops the nose to 45 degrees and heads for the ground, it's nose heavy. If the nose ever rises, it's tail heavy. If you get it in a dive and it tries to tuck under, it's tail heavy. If you ever have to give it down elevator on landing, it's tail heavy. Try all of these and you'll know. A too sensitive elevator can fool you into thinking it's tail heavy. The Senior doesn't need much. If your elevator linkage is stiff, it can seem tail heavy. Unhook the pushrod at the servo and see how it feels by hand. It should move easily with no stiffness or binding. If you're adjusting the elevator movement with your transmitter, say to 50 percent, that's not right. Use the linkage instead for better elevator action. As for the incidence between the wing and tail, I always set it at zero degrees. Many (most) old designs have too much incidence, as much as 2 degrees. It will fly fine like that, but you'll end up with a LOT of down elevator trimmed in and everybody will ask you why it has so much down trim. I recently built a Kadet Senior from the old plans and changed the rear fuselage for zero degrees. It flew perfectly with no elevator trim. Just because it's shown on the plans doesn't mean it's right. I know how the CG is shown incorrectly on the plans because I've done it. I always draw my plans before building. At times I have drawn the CG location on the plans as a guess, then never changed it. You gotta MAKE it fly right.
Doug Smith - 13/04/2021
Thank You, I will try tomorrow if weather is good...I made the angle of injection to app 0,2°, many trainers fly with that adjustment....The CG will follow shortly..
Greetings from Germany, Reinhard !
Reinhard Lehmann - 14/04/2021
Hi, I just finished my Sr. Falcon this last month and thought I would send some pictures to post [pics 021-025]. It was an attic find from a member who passed away and his son was going to throw it away, so you can see the before and after. Thanks for all you do!
Tom C - 24/08/2021
Hello! Placed the CG under the mainspar, not longer tailheavy... angle of incidence 0-0,5°. Many Greetings,
Reinhard Lehmann - 29/09/2021
Sadly I crashed my Sr Falcon again. He hit the only wooden fencestick after an emergency landing. A new wing is under construction now, using metric parts. I hope it will fly again next spring !
Reinhard Lehmann - 15/10/2021
A photo of my much flown Sr. Falcon [pic 026]. Powered by an Enya 60 III & guided by a Kraft "Custom 12 - All Transistor" Reeds system converted to 2.4 GHz with all modern airborne servos and electronics, thanks to Phil Green and "Mode Zero". Regards,
Mike Foster - 24/10/2021
Hello, my Senior Falcon can be seen on You Tube! https://youtu.be/yU0FCwAWzjg I hope it will fly again in spring 2022! Greetings from Germany.
Reinhard Lehmann - 30/01/2022
My Falcon Sr [pic 027]. Powered with a 46, and covered with Silkspan an dope.
Porter Harvey - 02/03/2022
New wing ! Flys well....The bottem between mainspar and trailingegde is flat now (like Ugly Stick). No bad effekts...CG under mainspar, AoI 0 - 05 °...
Greetings from Germany
Reinhard Lehmann - 29/05/2022
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- Senior Falcon (oz6137)
- Plan File Filesize: 2450KB Filename: Sr_Falcon_69in_oz6137.pdf
- Supplement Filesize: 903KB Filename: Sr_Falcon_69in_oz6137_instructions.pdf
- Supplement Filesize: 1212KB Filename: Sr_Falcon_69in_oz6137_review.pdf
- Supplement Filesize: 398KB Filename: Sr_Falcon_69in_oz6137_ribs.pdf
- Supplement Filesize: 361KB Filename: Sr_Falcon_69in_oz6137_stab.pdf
- help with downloads
Notes
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Scaling
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