Piston

Farman F.90 / Farman F.91

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The Farman F.90 passenger transport first flew in 1921. It was a single engine, single bay biplane with unstaggered, rectangular wings and ailerons on the upper wings only. The interplane gap was large, with the upper plane held high above the fuselage by a set of four vertical centre section struts. The interplane struts were also simple parallel pairs. Its tailplane and elevators were fixed to the top of the fuselage; it had a triangular fin and a rudder with a tip at the same angle but vertically displaced, producing a nick in the leading edge.

The F.90 was initially powered by a 260 hp (194 kW) Salmson AZ 9 9-cylinder radial engine, neatly enclosed in a short nose. The fuselage was deep and flat sided, though with a slightly rounded decking. The passenger compartment, with four small windows on each side, began near the wing leading edge and stretched aft a little beyond the trailing edge. The pilot had an open cockpit behind the cabin with a clear forward view under the high wing. The F.90 had a conventional undercarriage with single mainwheels under the wing leading edges and a rear skid.

Flight trials began in 1921, conducted by Farman pilots Lucien Coupet and Jules Landry. By 1923 the Salmson radials had been updated from the mark AZ to CM for its appearance the Zenith Cup competition of that year. It was re-engined again, this time with 380 hp (283 kW) Bristol Jupiters, for the same competition in 1926. This change came with a new type number, F.91. Only one F.90/1 was built.

The F.90/1 won several Cups but no orders. It won the 1922 Grand Prix de Paris, the only single engine aircraft amongst five competitors, where it was flown by Louis Boussoutrot and his mechanic, Henri Carol. This contest included a 600 km (370 mi) circuit, which the F.90 completed at an average speed of 144.4 km/h (89.7 mph), and rewarded Farman with FF 80,000 and a statuette.

It appeared in the Zenith Cup, a fuel consumption competition funded by the Société du Carburateur Zenith, twice, winning it both times. This competition required the contestants to make out and return flights from Paris to Lyon and back on successive, prescribed days. The round trip distance was 770 km (480 mi). The winner was the aircraft that used the least fuel for the load it carried, measured by the ratio of weight of fuel used to weight of useful load. In 1923 there were nine entrants, though three were non-starters. On 21-22 July 1923, fitted with its new Salmson CM 9 engines and flown by Boussoutrot, it won with a fuel to load ratio of 0.475, well ahead of the 0.616 of the runner-up, a Potez VIII A two-seater.

Three years later, on 3-4 July, the same machine, now the F.91 with Bristol Jupiters and Bristol Triplex carburettors, was one of seven competitors. The Farman, flown by Maurice Drouhin, won again with a much improved fuel to load ratio of 0.253, though the runner-up, a Caudron was close behind at 0.256. Each win gained Farman the Cup plus the first prize of FF 30,000; in 1926 at least the winning pilot also got FF 3,000.

Only the one example was ever built.

F. 90
Engine: 1 × Salmson AZ 9, 190 kW (260 hp)
Propellers: 2-bladed
Wingspan: 14.03 m (46 ft 0 in)
Wing area: 66.80 m2 (719.0 sq ft)
Length: 9.30 m (30 ft 6 in)
Height: 3.86 m (12 ft 8 in)
Empty weight: 1,100 kg (2,425 lb)
Gross weight: 2,350 kg (5,181 lb)
Maximum speed: 180 km/h (112 mph; 97 kn)
Range: 70 km (43 mi; 38 nmi)
Crew: 1
Capacity: 6 passengers

Farman F.60 / F.61 Goliath / F.62 / F.63 / F.65 / F.68

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The two FF.60 bomber prototypes of 1918 started a great family of passenger airliners and night bombers. The F.60 of 1915 16 was an F.40 with the more powerful 190 hp Renault; the F.61 was the 190 hp version of the F.41. The type was an equal-span biplane with a conventional monoplane-type tail unit. The landing-gear legs had trousered fairings and each supported twin wheels. Immediately above each leg was an engine set in a large nacelle on the lower wing, with minimal clearance between the propeller and the slab-sided fuselage.

Farman F.60 Article

Bomber versions had gunners cockpits in the nose and amidships, while the pilot and co-pilot/navigator were seated in tandem in open cockpits. Commercial transport Goliaths had a nose cabin for four passengers and an aft cabin for eight, separated by a raised open cockpit for the two pilots under the leading edge of the upper wing.

The Farman brothers commenced Paris-London flights on 6 February 1919 using an F.60 Goliath.

Renault 300 hp on a Farman 60

About 60 commercial Goliaths were built in several versions with Salmson, Renault, Lorraine, Gnome-Rhone-built Jupiter, Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar and Farman engines, among the most important being those powered by 171.4kW Salmson Z.9 radial engines operated by Air Union.

Goliath – Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar engines

Several flew with other airlines including the Farman airline, and indeed it was this company that started the world’s first regular international passenger service, beginning on 22 March 1919 between Paris and Brussels. Of course this had not been the first international passenger service by an airline between European capital cities, this being officially recognised as the Farman flight between Paris and London on 8 February 1919 carrying military personnel. However the latter was not the start of a sustained or civil passenger service and as such does not conflict with the Paris-Brussels “first”. Versions operated by the Farman airline included the Renault-powered F.61 and Gnome-Rhone-built Jupiter-powered F.63bis. Six passenger-carrying Goliaths were also built under licence in Czechoslovakia, two going to the air force.

F.60

Thirty-six F.60 bombers (with Salmson engines and cut-down noses) served with the French 21 and 22 Regiments d’Aviation and 24 square-nosed Jupiter-powered Goliaths equipped naval escadrilles 6R1, 6B1 and 6B2, following tests with a passenger type. These could be mounted on twin floats (with stabiliser floats under the lower wings) as an alternative to the normal wheel-type landing gear. Russia purchased sufficient F.62s to equip two units which formed the embryo of its new heavy bomber force; Japan and Italy bought a single example each for testing; and Poland acquired 32 F.68 bombers. Export bombers – like the 42 F.63 for the French Army and a large batch of F.65 for the French Navy – each had a ‘balcony’-type nose-gunner’s cockpit with a ‘step’ below.
The Belgian Aviation Militaire had two squadrons of F.41s and 60s a few F.40 series were used by the RNAS and 30 were supplied to the American Expedtionary Force.
Conversions to airliner were operated by Air Union circa 1929.

Engine: 2 x Salmson CM.9, 190kW
Max take-off weight: 4870 kg / 10737 lb
Empty weight: 2500 kg / 5512 lb
Wingspan: 26.5 m / 86 ft 11 in
Length: 14.3 m / 46 ft 11 in
Wing area: 161.0 sq.m / 1732.99 sq ft
Max. speed: 130 km/h / 81 mph
Cruise speed: 120 km/h / 75 mph
Ceiling: 4000 m / 13100 ft
Range w/max.fuel: 400 km / 249 miles
Crew: 2
Passengers: 12

Farman F.60 Goliath

Farman F.50

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F.50BN-2

The F.50 bomber was a large tractor machine able to carry a significant load of heavier bombs. It was normally powered by two 250/265 hp Lorraine Dietrich engines, and in appearance strongly resembled the enemy Gothas. The front gunner/ bomb aimer was in the nose and the pilot just ahead of the wings; there was no rear cockpit for a gunner to provide defence astern. There were two twin wheel landing gears, between which were racks for eight 75 kg (165 lb) bombs. Two escadrilles of the Aviation Militaire used this type, and two were supplied to the AEF. The F.50BN 2 operating as a night bomber in 1918. Several survived for some years with the French navy (as torpedo bombers), in Japan and as civil transports.

Span: 22.9 m (75 ft 1.5 in)
Length: 12.03 m (39 ft 5.75 in)
Gross weight: 3116 kg (6870 lb)
Maximum speed: 150 km/h (93 mph)

Farman F.40 / Farman F.41

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F.40P

The last important pusher type produced by Henry and Maurice Farman was the F.40 and F.41 reconnaissance bombers, produced by the brothers’ new joint company at the end of 1915.

It derived from the F.30, the F.40 was a more refined aircraft, again with the gunner in the nose with a Hotchkiss or Lewis and the pilot seated behind. The usual engine was the 160 hp Renault V 8. The F.41 had a shorter span, less powerful Renault engine and reduced performance. The F.40 and 41 were used in large numbers by the Aviation Militaire, equipping 47 escadrilles on the Western Front and in Macedonia. Even in 1916 they were no match for enemy scouts, and many were lost. By 1917, they were used mainly by night, and continued in use until the Bre.XIV became available in numbers late in that year.

A few F.40s (F.40P) were armed with Le Prieu rockets and used against balloons.

F.40

F.40
Engine: Renault, 130 hp
Span: 17.60 m (57 ft 10 in)
Length: 9.25 m (30 ft 4 in)
Gross weight: 1120 kg (2470 lb)
Maximum speed: 135 km/h (84 mph)

Farman HF.20 / Farman HF.21 / Farman HF.27

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The two-seat H.F.20 was in service with the French and Belgian military in 1913 and was basically a refined “Shorthorn”, with a 59.6kW Gnome rotary engine driving a pusher propeller. With the outbreak of World War I the type was used also by the British air services for scouting and light bombing but achieved only marginal success as a reconnaissance type and then trainer.

H.F.21

By substituting the Gnome for a Le Rhone engine of similar power it was hoped to extend the aircraft’s capabilities, but the resulting H.F.21 was obsolete. In a final attempt to rectify the tremendous lack of power the H.F.27 was developed with a 104.3kW or 119kW Canton-Unne engine – as fitted to the equally light but far more successful early Voisin types. The resulting aircraft was sufficiently promising to be deployed on secondary war fronts.

Gallery

Engine: 1 x Gnome, 59kW
Max take-off weight: 660 kg / 1455 lb
Empty weight: 360 kg / 794 lb
Wingspan: 14.0 m / 45 ft 11 in
Length: 8.3 m / 27 ft 3 in
Height: 3.2 m / 10 ft 6 in
Wing area: 35.0 sq.m / 376.74 sq ft
Max. speed: 110 km/h / 68 mph
Ceiling: 315 m / 1050 ft
Range w/max.fuel: 250 km / 155 miles
Armament: 1 machine-guns
Crew: 2

HF.20
Engine: Gnome 7A. 80 hp
Wingspan: 44 ft 10 in / 15.54 m
Length: 27 ft 9 in / 8.79 m
Height: 10 ft / 3.1 m
Weight: 1565 lb / 710 kg
Max speed: 65 mph / 100 kph at SL
Ceiling: 9022 ft / 2750 m
Endurance: 3 hr 20 min
Armament: 1 x mg
Crew: 2

HF.20
Farman H.F.20

Farman MF.11 Shorthorn

TerryLeave a comment

The M.F.11 retained the same basic configuration as Maurice Farman’s preceeding M.F.7, but introduced a number of refinements and one radical change: the forward elevator that had led the British to give the nickname “Longhorn” to the M.F.7 was abandoned, and the British dubbed the M.F.11 the “Shorthorn”. The tail unit was re-designed to have a single tailplane, elevator, and twin rudders. Another visually notable change was an alteration in the position of the nacelle, which was raised from the upper surface of the lower wing to a point between the upper and lower wings. It was the first Farman design to be armed, being employed on bombing and reconnaissance duties.

The M.F. 11 first flew in 1914 and entered service in 1915 with an assortment of engine types delivering anything between 70 and 130 hp (52 and 97 kW), though the most common units were De Dion or Renault engines; aircraft licence-built in Italy by S.I.A. had Renault or Fiat A.l0 engines.

Flying the Farman MF.11 Shorthorn – Frank Tallman

The Shorthorn was also built in England by the Aircraft Manufacturing Company, the forerunner of the de Havilland aircraft company, used by both the RFC and RNAS. One of the RNAS machines dropped eighteen 16-lb bombs on enemy positions near Ostend on 21 December 1913 as the first-ever military night operation.

In the basic M.F. 11 the pilot was seated in front of the observer, but in the MF.11bis developed by Maurice’s brother, Henry Farman, the observer was given a better field of fire for his gun by being seated in front of the pilot.

The Farman MF 11 served in considerable numbers, equipping 37 French escadrilles, six squadrons of the RFC on the Western Front and other RFC/RNAS units in Mesopotamia, the Dardanelles and the Aegean. The R.F.C. received its first Shorthorns for No. 4 Squadron, each fitted with one machine gun. Unfortunately, they had such poor performance that they could often make no head¬way against the prevailing wind when returning from flights over the enemy line, and were easy prey for flak.

The type was used mainly for observation, but was occasionally and successfully pressed into service as a bomber. A Farman MF. 11 of the Royal Naval Air Service made the first night bombing raid of World War I, attacking German gun emplacements near Ostend on 21 December 1914.

The MF.11, shown here on at Hendon airfield, was fitted with an 80 hp De Dion-Bouton engine. This machine was the private aeroplane of the Frenchman Marquis Larienty-Tholozan.

1913 Maurice Farman MF.11 of Marquis Larienty-Tholozan

In 1916 the Australian Government ordered five Shorthorns from England for the Central Flying School at Point Cook, Victoria. They were serialled CFS-15, CFS-16, CFS-17, CFS19, and CFS-20. A sixth aircraft, CFS-18 was built at Point Cook. After the war, on 19 March 1919, four Shorthorns were offered for sale at a public auction but failed to sell. They were subsequently purchased by a syndicate of Graham Carey and Arthur Fenton.

Following their frontline service, the MF. 11 and its predecessor, the MF.7, were widely used for training.
Principal versions – M.F. 11 (basic model) and M.F. 11bis (revised version with reversed seating). Principal users – France, Great Britain, Italy, and Russia.

Gallery

Farman MF.11 “Shorthorn”
Engine: Renault R-80, 70-hp (52-kW)
Wing span 53 ft 0 in (16.15 m)
Length 31 ft 2 in (9.50 m)
Height 12 ft 9.5 in (3.90 m)
Wing area 613.56 sq ft (57.00 sq.m).
Empty weight: 1,213 lb (550 kg)
Maximum take¬off weight: 1,874 lb (840 kg)
Max. weight carried: 672.5 lb / 305.0 kg
Wing loading: 3.69 lb/sq.ft / 18. 0 kg/sq.m
Maximum speed: 46 kt / 85 km/h / 62mph (100 km/h) at sea level
Service ceiling 12,470 ft (3,800 m)
Initial climb rate: 295.28 ft/min / 1.5 m/s
Endurance 3 hours 45 minutes.
Range: 162 nm / 300 km
Armament: one 8-mm (0.315-in) machine-gun and (bomber version) 288 lb (131 kg) of bombs.
Crew: 2

Engine: 1 x 100hp Renault 8-cylinder air-cooled V
Max take-off weight: 928 kg
2046 lb
Wingspan: 16.16 m
53 ft 0 in
Length: 9.45 m
31 ft 0 in
Height: 3.18 m
10 ft 5 in
Max. speed: 106 km/h
66 mph
Ceiling: 3800 m
12450 ft
Crew: 2
Armament: one machine gun, 130kg of bombs

Farman MF.7 Longhorn

TerryLeave a comment

The Longhorn was used extensively for training purposes, and from 1912 the Maurice Farman-designed M.F.7 served with the French military as well as with many civil and military flying schools in France, Britain and elsewhere in Europe. French squadrons used Longhorns for reconnaissance duties until 1915.

It was an unequal-span, three-bay biplane, of two-spar wooden construction, with strut-braced extensions to the upper wing. Fabric covered the wings, cockpit nacelle and tail surfaces. The biplane tail unit had elevator on upper tailplane and twin rudders (no fixed fins) carried on open wire-braced wooden booms. Additional front elevator carried on wooden twin-skid assembly. Two pairs of wheels were fitted.

Usually fitted with a 70-80 hp engines driving a pusher propeller. It was the prominent frontal elevator which led to the nickname “Longhorn”.

Next to the French – who used it initially for reconnaissance duties with seven escadrilles and later for training – the best customers were the RFC and RNAS who received a large number from France and others were licence-built in the UK for training duties.

The Longhorn held many records including a distance record of 350 miles in a closed circuit in 1910 and duration records in 1911, 1912 and 1913. The 1913 record was 13 hr 22 min.

The type was built under licence in Britain at Bradford with 100 hp Sunbeam engines. French Longhorns had 70 and 80 hp Renault and others 75 hp Rolls-Royce Hawk engines.

Farman Longhorn Article

A development of the Longhorn, with the elevator located behind the rudders, was appropriately known as the MF.11 “Shorthorn”.

MF.7ter

The 1913 MF.7ter, shown here on at Hendon airfield, was fitted with an 80 hp 8-cylinder De Dion-Bouton engine. This unique machine was an intermediate between the MF.7 and the MF.11, as the front elevator is omitted. The Americans used the term ‘headless’ to describe this type of machine. This machine was the private aeroplane of the Frenchman Marquis Larienty-Tholozan.

Gallery

Farman MF 7 Longhorn
Engine: 1 x Renault, 51kW / 69 hp or one 100 hp Sunbeam
Max take-off weight: 855 kg / 1885 lb
Empty weight: 580 kg / 1279 lb
Wingspan: 15.5 m / 50 ft 10 in
Length: 11.5 m / 37 ft 9 in
Height: 3.4 m / 11 ft 2 in
Wing area: 60.0 sq.m / 645.83 sq ft
Max. speed: 90 km/h / 56 mph
Crew: 2

Engine: 70 hp Renault
Prop: 2 blade Wood pusher
Wingspan: 51 ft /15.4 m
Length: 37 ft 9 in / 11.35 m
Height: 11 ft 4 in / 3.45 m
Empty weight: 1280 lb
MTOW: 1835 lb / 855 kg
Max speed: 56 mph / 95 kph at SL
Ceiling: 13,123 ft / 4000 m
Endurance: 3 hr 30 min
Crew: 2