Wills Wing Falcon 4 170

The Falcon 4 170 represents more than twenty years of refinement of one of the most popular and successful gliders in Wills Wing’s history.

Since the Falcon series was introduced in 1994, it has been designed around one fundamental goal: making soaring as accessible, enjoyable and stress-free as possible. The Falcon 4 170 continues that philosophy, combining forgiving flight characteristics with light, responsive handling and impressive single-surface performance.

It is an excellent choice for developing pilots looking to build airtime and confidence, while remaining an exceptionally enjoyable glider for experienced pilots who appreciate simple, relaxed soaring.

What’s New

The Falcon 4 introduced a revised sail cut and sail-panel layout designed to improve aerodynamic performance while retaining the easy handling for which the Falcon is known.

Lateral stability at higher speeds and during aerotow has also been improved.

The Falcon 4 170 is supplied with an airframe that breaks down to shipping length as standard. An optional short-pack airframe allows the 170 to be reduced to approximately 6.5 ft (1.98 m) for easier transport and storage.

A Litestream Control Bar is also available as an optional performance upgrade.

Falcon 4 170 Performance

The Falcon series has developed a reputation for extracting remarkable practical soaring performance from a simple single-surface design.

The Falcon 4 170 combines relaxed, responsive handling, excellent climb performance and strong low-speed glide characteristics. Its forgiving nature allows developing pilots to concentrate on improving their flying rather than managing a demanding wing.

For newer pilots, this can mean longer and more frequent flights, helping build experience and confidence more rapidly.

For experienced pilots, the Falcon 4 170 offers something equally valuable: uncomplicated soaring. Its light handling and straightforward nature make it a glider that can simply be launched and enjoyed.

Features

• Light, responsive and reassuring handling
• Improved Falcon 4 sail cut and panel layout
• Enhanced lateral stability at higher speeds and during aerotow
• Optional short-pack airframe reducing packed length to approximately 6.5 ft (1.98 m)
• Quick-attach nose cone
• Optional Litestream performance control bar
• Transverse batten extending washout support at the wingtips
• Reduced number of reflex bridle lines
• 7075-T6 drawn seamless main frame tubing
• 7075-T6 drawn seamless keel tubing
• 7075-T6 drawn seamless leading edges
• 7075-T6 pre-formed battens
• Lever rear batten tips
• Ball-type crossbar centre
• Full leading-edge Mylar pocket and Mylar insert
• Streamlined kingpost
• Rear crossbar haulback system
• Deluxe glider bag
• Control bar bag
• Batten bag and Velcro sail ties
• Spare parts kit
• Comprehensive Owner/Service Manual and batten diagram

Control Bar

The standard Falcon 4 170 control bar uses round downtubes and a round speedbar/comfort-bar basetube.

This configuration can accommodate either 5-inch Hall wheels or 8-inch Finsterwalder wheels, mounted directly onto the basetube.

The Falcon 4 170 can alternatively be ordered with the Litestream Control Bar, with either a streamlined or round speedbar basetube.

The streamlined Litestream basetube can be paired with the Wills Wing Streamlined Wheel Kit, while the round version can accommodate Hall or Finsterwalder wheels.

Sail Colours

The Falcon 4 sail uses V170 4 oz woven sailcloth, with several panels available in a choice of colours.

Factory inventory gliders typically use factory-selected colours for the leading-edge top-surface panel and bottom-surface panel. Custom orders allow colour selection for these areas and the trailing-edge panel, with further panel customisation available depending on the sail specification selected.

This allows the Falcon 4 170 to be configured with anything from a relatively understated colour scheme to a much more distinctive custom appearance.

Sail Materials

The Falcon 4 sail is normally manufactured using 4 oz woven sailcloth.

Alternative sail materials were offered for selected panels, including 205 MT for the leading-edge and/or trailing-edge panels and UVPXB05 for selected upper-surface and trailing-edge panels.

Availability of particular materials, colours and custom sail options may vary.

Optional Short-Pack Airframe

With the optional short-packable airframe, the Falcon 4 170 can be reduced to approximately 78 inches (6.5 ft / 1.98 m).

This makes the glider substantially easier to transport, ship or store than in its normal configuration.

Wills Wing also offered a protective Deluxe Transport/Storage Container consisting of a dense foam liner inside a heavy-duty ballistic-cloth zippered outer bag. The complete glider — including sail, airframe, battens and cover bags — can be packed inside.

Falcon 4 170 Specifications

The Falcon 4 170 sits at the heart of the Falcon 4 range, offering a particularly versatile combination of pilot weight range, easy handling, portability and soaring performance. It remains a compelling choice for pilots who value simplicity and confidence without giving up the ability to make the most of a good soaring day.