Parker 50 Falcon Flighter - Fine Nib

[Checklist]

All, here is my first in a series of reviews of "under-rated" pens, or those that are lightly reviewed on FPN.  Figured we had enough Parker 51 and Lamy 2000 reviews for now; maybe these reviews of somewhat more obscure pens will help someone decide whether to pull the trigger on one of them.  First up in the series (because it's currently inked) is my Parker 50 Falcon Flighter with what I think is a fine nib:

 

 

Appearance and Construction: 8/10

There are two parts to this: Appearance (4.5/5) and Construction (3.5/5).  The appearance of this pen is striking; without a doubt, it is the sleekest pen I have seen.  The "beak" of luster contrasts nicely with the frosted grip section, and the gold-colored trim gives enough contrast to keep the pen from looking like a surgical instrument.  To fit the sleek, modern look, the fletching on the arrow clip is replaced by a smooth wedge.  The nib reminds me somewhat of the F-16, which is of similar vintage, and is just fun to stare at.  Go ahead, take a minute to soak it in:

 

 

One warning: the cap will wear a ring in the frosted grip, marring the look somewhat.  I haven't seen that on mine yet, but it is not in heavy use.

 

The construction is nice and solid, but does not feel as solid as other high-end Parkers of the era (51 or 61).  I have nothing to say either way about it.

 

Size and Weight: 5/10

This is a small pen, no doubt about it.  If you have large hands, you might not enjoy it.  It's about as small as I can write with comfortably, and I have roughly average hands.  Of course, that helps keep the weight down, so it is not heavy at all.  It's been a while since I've had a long writing session with the Falcon, and I don't think I would pick this pen to write a letter, in part due to the size.

 

Size comparison with a 51:

 

 

Nib and Writing: 3/10

And this is where it gets disappointing.  When first filled up, the Falcon writes well and is a smooth, if dry, writer; it's the only pen I have that keeps Noodler's Bulletproof inks from becoming a river.  However, as days go by, the nib gets harder and harder to start, particularly on nice paper like Rhodia (shown above).  It becomes rather unpleasant and takes ballpoint-level pressure to get started.  Once started, it writes more and more inconsistently as it remains inked up, getting to the point that any pause requires a hard press to get going again.  Frankly, if the pen didn't look so good, I would have sold it by now. 

 

Filling and Misc.: 6/10

Nothing special here.  It has an early Parker converter, similar to the Aerometric, but easily replaceable.  Modern cartridges and converters would be compatible, if they fit in the pen.  I have not tried it, but the small Parker cartridges will fit, if desired.

 

The Falcon is not expensive; I picked up a fountain pen/ballpoint set, with the box, for $100 from That Worldwide Garage Sale a year and a half ago.    Worth that to show off and write occasionally, in my book.

 

Final Score: 22/40

This is a beautiful pen, but the writing does leave something to be desired.  If the sleekness is worth the dry, hard starting performance, then consider the Falcon.  Otherwise, just make friends with someone who has one so you can stare at it without having to write with it.

 

PS, this is my first review, so please feel free to leave any feedback and pointers below for future reviews!

 

[TheRedBeard]

Thank you for a very useful review.

[gyasko]

I have this same pen: Parker 50 Flighter in F.  It is part of my Parker fighter collection.   

 

Mine is a very nice writer, if as you say, a little on the dry side.   My 50 is a very smooth writer, without the harsh feel of the Myu, which seems to transmit every bump and pit on the  desk to ones hand.  The 50 seems more cushioned.   My 50 doesn’t have start up issues, but then i use only  “boring “ Waterman & Parker black & blue in it.

[Glenn-SC]

I have a number of Falcons and I would agree with all you conclusions.

The Falcon is on the smallish size for my hand and they all seem to write on the dry side.

 

Great photos BTW.

[Calabria]

The Falcon was my first collector’s pen. I got mine on a trip to London with my parents when I was still in high school. Mine is brown, a color I liked at the time.

 

The pen always wrote well for me, if not stellar (M I suppose). The nib tipping is basically a sphere, which looks odd today. I didn’t know much about pens at the time but it seemed really cool.

 

The ring that holds the clip broke on

my pen for some strange reason. I never sent it in for repair but glued it back on with epoxy. 
 

I still have it but don’t feel the need to try and use it now. Overall, I’ve come to expect much more from pens and this now looks a bit on the cheap side - especially with the epoxy repair.

 

Thanks for the review!

[Checklist]

2 hours ago, Calabria said:

The ring that holds the clip broke on

my pen for some strange reason.

 

I hear that's a common failure on this pen.  Quite a few auction pieces online had this problem, too.

[Checklist]

14 hours ago, gyasko said:

 My 50 doesn’t have start up issues, but then i use only  “boring “ Waterman & Parker black & blue in it.

 

The last two inks I have used in the pen are Noodler's 54th Massachusetts and KWZ IG Blue #3, both of which can dry out rather quickly in the nib, so it could be the inks.  My other problems handle Blue #3 well, though.

[Gloucesterman]

Thank you for the nice review. I have a brown Parker Falcon 50 and enjoy it very much.

 

Not sure what your personal process of preparing new (to you) pens is, so I would ask if you have used an ultrasonic cleaner on this pen? Also, a good friend who is much smarter than I am has often suggested soaking nibs in "Rapido-eze" (?) as a very effective way to clean out hidden gunk and stuff in used and new pens which might inhibit proper ink flow and functioning. The several times I have used his method has resulted in success and a better flowing nib.

 

Good luck and thank you again for the review.

[Checklist]

If I have cleaned it with an ultrasonic cleaner, it's been a long while, at least 6 months.  I have been flushing it with water and Goulet Pen Flush; when I cleaned it last week, I soaked it for hours after it ran clear.  Still had a blue spot on the paper towel when it dries, but it's cleaner than it's been in a while.

[Gloucesterman]

14 hours ago, Checklist said:

If I have cleaned it with an ultrasonic cleaner, it's been a long while, at least 6 months.  I have been flushing it with water and Goulet Pen Flush; when I cleaned it last week, I soaked it for hours after it ran clear.  Still had a blue spot on the paper towel when it dries, but it's cleaner than it's been in a while.

Sounds as if you have done an outstanding job of cleaning it.

[lehi53]

Thank you.  Interesting looking nib.  

[TheRedBeard]

Just today received a Parker 50 Falcon Flighter in NOS boxed condition.

The pen looks and feels very nice though it is too small and light for me. 

Anyway, I'm happy to add it to my Parker collection  

[TheRedBeard]

Last night on eBay UK mint P50 Falcon in RG Consort finish was sold for £103 (c. $140) - not bad at all  

[chromantic]

On 5/11/2021 at 3:08 PM, Calabria said:

The ring that holds the clip broke on

my pen for some strange reason. I never sent it in for repair but glued it back on with epoxy. 
 

I still have it but don’t feel the need to try and use it now. Overall, I’ve come to expect much more from pens and this now looks a bit on the cheap side - especially with the epoxy repair.

 

lol, I was going to say "Hey, I bought yours on ebay" until I saw you still had yours.

 

On 5/11/2021 at 5:48 PM, Checklist said:

 

I hear that's a common failure on this pen.  Quite a few auction pieces online had this problem, too.

 

^^ Calabria - The Falcon 50 Flighter was also *my* first 'collector's' pen. I got mine from Valentina in Italy for $129 +s/h. I used it a few times, then put it away, mainly because I didn't want to get the wear ring on the section. I later bought the brown FR/BP set with the broken clip on the FP. I should pull that one out and use it.