Rieti, August 21st - 2005
"HAWK" - THE " RIETI MADE " ACROBATIC AIRCRAFT -
WILL FLY FOR THE FIRST TIME OVER THE XXXVth MEETING.
Rieti - Sunday the 28th of August the Rieti IAAF GP Meeting riches the
35th consecutive edition and the anniversary of the most long-lived
event of Italian Athletics run into a coincidence, this year, with the
baptism of another exclusive creature which is just born in the
Sabina's town and is going to move its first step.
"F8AL" is an acronym which can maybe sound meaningless to profanes, but
for aviation's fans the "Hawk" of Commander Luigi Aldini symbolizes
already - just before its first official roll-out - a little milestone
in our aviation history, already able to have mention on pages and
pages of the most important specialised magazines.
Luigi Aldini, originating from Emilia but living in Rieti, is the man
that since many years has been greeting the public of "Guidobaldi" with
his final exhibition on board of a glider, diving in the notes of
Ennio Morricone's theme from the movie " Once upon a time the West" ;
Sunday his exhibition will be enriched, before the beginning of the
Meeting, with the on-flight presentation of the F8AL "Hawk" : a little
red shining jewel, made for acrobatic flight, which Aldini built rivet
after rivet, instrument after instrument, in his house in Rieti
together with his wife Gemma and the two sons, Davide and Marco.
The "Hawk"'s adventure started at the end of the '90. "I met at the
airport my friend Enzo Marrucci who was just getting out of his F4 -
Swift. Few words lead to know that he was in possess of some - still
packed - boxes from Aeromere, the Factory in Trento which had started,
in the '50ies, the Hawk's production. It was strongly possible,
eventually, that the boxes contained hardware of Ing. Stelio Frati
masterpiece" says today Aldini.
Just a minute to accept to move the boxes to Rieti. Then, immediately
after find, inside them, the original - and readable - projects. This
pushed automatically the family - 1998 was the year - to start building
up this wooden wonder.
From then, "Hawk" is a celebrity in Rieti and in the Aviation
environment : curious, friends and specialists coming from all over
Europe were visiting Aldini's house to assist day after day the
development of F8AL , the tail of which have for long time, been
visible from the window.
Sandro Giovannelli, patron of the Meeting, was also fascinated by this
flying racing machine, that one which is considered by many "the air
born Stradivarius": after mandatory "certification" flights, made
during the past months, the wooden predator born in Rieti will now show
up for the first time in public just in that Meeting which brought fame
to Rieti from all over the world.
Concerning the air manoeuvres which will be carried out by the Hawk
over the Guidobaldi, Commander Aldini keeps discretion - "to keep the
surprise for the public" - but in any case a low level flight will be
performed, with a tri-colours wake out of the smokers, fixed under the
wings.
Hawk's flight : another amazing page in Rieti IAAF GP Meeting.
THE "HAWK"
The project of F8 was designed by Ing. Stelio Frati at the end of the
'50 for Aviamilano Factory ; the project was later taken over by
Aeromede Factory ( Laverda) which, from 1959 to 1968, built around 60
aircrafts before stopping production. Designed especially for air races
and acrobatic flight, entirely wooden, F8 Hawk survived thank Sequoia,
the American factory that produces it in kit, but also mainly thank to
love and affection that many fans - like Commander Aldini - still have
for this little, incredible aircraft.
During the years the F8 has been improved with to a lot of
modifications : the F8AL built in Rieti is the first of 5th
Series and, specifies Aldini, "put together all previous improvements
and some new technical modification carried out by me and my family as,
for instance, an extension of 15 cm of the nose, a triple-blade
propeller and a renewed line of the capote".
A unique peace in the world, ready to fly in the sky over Rieti Sunday
the 28th.
THECNICAL DATA
Wing length : 8.00 m
Length : 6.50 m
Height : 2,28 m
Wing span : 9,98 sqm
Weight
: 549
kg
Takeoff Weight : 819 kg
Max Str. Speed : 386 km/h
Max. Speed : 341 km/h
Cruise Speed (75% max.pwr.) : 306 km/h
Stall Speed : 100 km/h
Takeoff / land space : 250m / 180m
Max. Ceiling : 6.000 m
Max. Range : 1,400 km