Falconar F11 Sporty

The Falconar F11 Sporty is a Canadian amateur-built aircraft, that was designed by Chris Falconar and produced by Falconar Avia. Falconar supplied it as a kit or as plans for amateur construction. Today both the F11A and E models are available as plans from Manna Aviation.

Design and development
The F11 is a variant of the Jodel D11. Falconar indicated that it incorporates a larger cockpit, simplified fittings, shoulder harnesses and aerodynamic improvements to improve stall characteristics.

Hans Teijgeler of Jodel.com says that the F11 varies from the D11 by using a new wing design, with new simplified spar and rib design and the dihedral point moved inboard, allowing the outer portion to fold for ground transport or storage, but at the cost of added weight. Teijgeler describes the wing as "less efficient". Teijgeler also notes that the F11 uses larger and heavier engines with higher fuel consumption. Teijgeler says of the Falconar F11, "the Falconar 'Jodel' should not be looked upon as a Jodel, but as a Falconar. This is [n]either good or bad. Just a fact to take into account"

The F11 features a cantilever low-wing, a two-seats-in-side-by-side configuration enclosed cockpit that is 40 in wide, fixed conventional landing gear, or optionally tricycle landing gear, and a single engine in tractor configuration.

The aircraft is made from wood, with its flying surfaces covered in doped aircraft fabric. Its 27.3 ft span wing has an area of 138 sqft and optionally can mount flaps. The aircraft's recommended engine power range is 65 to 140 hp and engines that have been used include the 100 hp Continental O-200, the 65 hp Continental A-65, the 100 to 116 hp Lycoming O-235, the 125 to 140 hp Lycoming O-290, the 65 to 113 hp Franklin 4AC, 65 to 85 hp Volkswagen air-cooled engine four-strokes and the 110 hp Hirth F-30 two-stroke powerplant. Construction time from the supplied kit varies depending on the model built.

The F11 was later developed into the larger Falconar F12A Cruiser, a two-seater with an option of a third seat.

Operational history
By November 2012, 20 examples had been registered with Transport Canada, 13 in the United States with the Federal Aviation Administration and two with the CAA in the United Kingdom.

Variants

 * F11A Sporty
 * Initial model with an empty weight of 785 lb and a gross weight of 1300 lb. Construction time from the supplied kit is 1200 hours. One hundred reported completed and flown by 2011. Options for this model include flaps, vertical coil spring main landing gear, tricycle gear, auxiliary fuel tanks, a three piece folding wing and floats for water operations.


 * F11E Sporty
 * Lightened model introduced in 1987 for the Canadian basic ultralight category with an empty weight of 560 lb and a gross weight of 1100 lb. Construction time from the supplied kit is 1000 hours. One reported completed and flown by 2011