oldfart
Elite Veteran
Location: Vancouver, Canada
| Falcon 46Hi Heli34
To answer your question with absolute precision re: the differences between the HAWK and the Falcon, it will depend on what versions of each you are refering to. Because of Century's great policy of continually bringing their models up to the latest standards (e.g. the 2001 Chrysler Viper will be a Viper but will be a more modern version of the 1999 or even 2000 model) they have given them numbers...Hawk, Hawk II, Hawk III and the latest Hawk IV and the SE/I and the new SE/II. Ditto for the Falcon (Falcon, Falcon II, Falcon III and SE/I and SE/II
They did it right initially by launching one in the Hawk as the 32 configured unit to optimize performance with a 32 engine - 550mm blades, higher gear ratio etc.- and the Falcon as 46 heli, configured to get the best out of that size engine - 600mm blades, longer boom and boom support strut, heavier duty feathering spindle (6mm instead of 5mm), lower gear ratio, aluminim lower sideframes (stiffer and with a larger fuel tank right under the mainshaft resulting in a negligable cg change as the larger amount of fuel is burned), a 46/50 engine mount, larger cooling shroud and maybe a few other differences that slip my mind at the moment. This made it a true 46/50 machine rather then just a 30 with a different engine mount as did/do a few other manufacturers.
In order to compare the Falcon you got in more detail with the newly released Hawk IV, I would have to know what Falcon version you have. The original had a shorter 8mm mainshaft and the II and III had the longer 10mm unit that would allow a much larger pitch range. They all had a great tube supported tail rotor wire drive system except the new SE has the c/f torque tube drive system. The originals had an all plastic swashplate, with the III having a metal composite unit with steal ball joints all around and the new SE/II having an all metal unit.
What was/is really nice is through all of these improvements, they kept the pricing the same up until the intro of the latest units. And even then the price increase was marginal.
IMHO, these latest versions of the Century helis represent the best buys in all price classes they find themselves in. And the latest Falcon SE/II is the absolute best buy out there. I have burned over 35 gallons of fuel on the previous version and it is still going strong and has remained relatively slop free throughout.
Too bad for Century, maybe if my old one was showing as many signs of wear as my Raptor and GPH (both with less then 1/3 the time on them), I would have more incentive to go out and buy the latest version of their Falcon SE Even so, it is still tempting :-)) |
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It didn't seem to fly too bad but what do I know? I was having a hard time keeping it in a smooth hover. Always having to hunt the heli down (know what I mean), much harder than my baron 20 I flew back in 1979. 
