The aircraft was designed by the renowned Italian designer Stelio Frati in 1955, and originally built in Italy by Aviamilano then Aeromere and later Laverda. The aircraft is single-engined, propeller driven and designed for private and general aviation use. The Falco was sold in kit or plans form for amateur construction by the Sequoia Aircraft Company of Richmond, Virginia until its closure in 2014. The design was adopted in the US in the 1980s and converted to kit form. The aircraft is widely considered to be one of the best handling, strongest, and most aesthetically pleasing designs ever made available to home builders. Performance includes a 175 knotcruise speed and 6g aerobatic capability. The Sequoia Falco F8L is constructed of spruce and typically Finnish birch plywood. The structure is built from laminated spruce bulkheads and the birchplywood is used for the skin. The plywood is often softened with hot steam, formed over the various structures and glued in place. The aircraft is rated for 6g positive and 3g negative. Reviewers Roy Beisswenger and Marino Boric described the design in a 2015 review as "a complex all-wooden construction in spruce and plywood and is therefore time-consuming to build. But the results in terms of weight and speed are remarkable., so much so that the Falco is considered a classic, with outstanding performance and handling."
Variants
;F.8L Series I: Initial production model powered by 101 kW Lycoming engine. Ten built by Aviamilano. ;F.8L Series II: Improved model built by Aviamilano, with 112 kW engine. Twenty built. ;F.8L America: Modified version of Series II built by Aeromere in conformance with US airworthiness requirements. ;Super Falco Series IV: Similar to America, but with more powerful engine and constant speed propeller. Built by Laverda. ;Sequoia Falco: Similar to the production aircraft but re-designed for homebuilding from kits or plans, by Alfred Scott of Sequoia Aircraft Company and David Thurston of Lake Buccaneer fame.
