History of Airplanes

The Farman III (or Farman 3) was the first airplane to use ailerons (or flaps) as control surfaces, a great improvement over the Wrights’ method wing-warping.

Henri Farman had purchased a biplane, the Voisin-Farman I, from the Voisin company, and was ready to buy another, but Voisin sold Farman’s plane to another customer. Angered, Farman began his own aircraft company. His first plane, the Henri Farman III, took flight on April 6, 1909.

Its most remarkable step forward, however, was the use of balancing flappers, usually called ailerons, fitted into the rear edge of each wing. These ailerons were pulled down on one side to give that side extra lift when the machine tilted down on that side. Thus the ailerons had the same effect as warping the wings, and as it then became unnecessary to twist the wing itself, it became possible to build the whole wing structure as a fixed box- girder structure of wood and wire. This was lighter and stronger than was safe with a warping wing. For this reason aileron control is used on all airplanes of to-day. The Farman biplane was fitted with the stick control used by M. Bleriot, the stick working wires fore and aft for the elevator and lateral for the ailerons. A rudder-bar for the feet operated the rudder wires.

The whole machine was built of wood, so that it was very much lighter than the Voisin. He also installed a 50-horsepower (37-kilowatt) Gnôme rotary engine.

<p><b>Top Speed: </b> 37 m.p.h.</p>

<p><b>Engine: </b> 50 horse-power 7-cylinder, Gnome rotary </p>

<p><b>Wingspan: </b> 33 feet</p>

<p><b>Weight: </b> 1,100 – 1,270 pounds</p>

Farman achieved great fame at the Reims International Air Meet in August 1909, with the Farman III, where he won the distance competition by flying 111.8 miles (180 kilometers) in 3 hours, 4 minutes, and 56 seconds. He won the Prix des Passengers carrying two passengers, and second place in the Prix de l’Altitude by reaching an altitude of 361 feet (110 meters).

In the twelve months following the August 1909 Reims Air Race, Farman sold about 100 of his biplanes, at $5,600 apiece.

The Farman III was the first aeroplane to fly from England to Ireland. This aircraft became one of the most famous and widely used European biplanes before World War I. It was so widely used that, in the April 1910 London-Manchester race, both Louis Paulhan and Claude Grahame-White flew Farman planes.

Specifications: span 34 ft. 6 in.; length 43 ft. 6 in.; takeoff weight 1270 lbs.; engine 50 hp. Gnome seven-cylinder air-cooled rotary (original); 150 hp. Lycoming air-cooled flat four (representation); speed 45 mph.

Henri Farman teamed up with his brother Maurice, to form France’s first aviation company, producing the Maurice Farman M.F.7 and the Henri Farman F.20, both of which saw service with the French early in WWI.

Specifications from “Monoplanes and Biplanes,” by Grover Loening, 1911

The Frame

The frame consists essentially of a main box cell, somewhat similar in design to a Pratt truss, counterbraced throughout, with identical upper and lower chords, uprights of wood acting as compression members and cross wires as tension members. The supporting planes are analogous to the upper and lower decks of such a truss.

The Main Wings

There are two main carrying surfaces, identical and directly superposed. Their sectional curvature is of the cambered shape, used so generally in present day aeroplanes. The curvature is concave on the under side, and of parabolic character. The surfaces are made of “Continental” cloth. a special rubber fabric, stretched tightly over ash ribs. The spread of the surfaces is 33 feet: the depth, 6.6 feet. and the total area, 430 square feet. The distance between planes is 7 feet.

The Elevators

The elevation rudder originally consisted of a single surface, almost 43 square feet in area situated well out in front. It was hinged and braced to two sets of out riggers, firmly attached to the main cell, and was controlled by a large lever in the aviator’s right hand. By pulling in on this lever, the rudder was tilted up and the machine was caused to rise. By pushing out on the lever, the rudder was dipped down and the machine was caused to descend. This method of control is almost instinctive and very easy to acquire. On the more recent types this front rudder is reduced in size and in addition the rear flap of the upper keel at the stern is moved jointly with it. The rudders and ailerons am nil in their normal positions. The bulletin board indicates that he has just completed 19 laps in an hourly distance event. Note the hangars and tents in the distance.

The Direction Rudder

Two equal vertically placed surfaces in the extreme rear serve as the direction rudder. They are moved jointly and have an area of approximately 30 square feet. A foot lever, hinged at its center, is so connected to these rudders by cables that when the aviator pressing on this lever with his feet turns it, for example, to the left, then the machine will turn to the left.

Roll Control

The control of the lateral equilibrium i.e., the tipping from side to side, is effected by the use of ”wing tips,” four flaps constituting the rear ends of each plane. A lever in the aviator’s right hand (the same one as used to operate the elevation rudder) can be moved from side to side. It is connected by wires to the lower flap on either side. These flaps in turn transmit the movement imparted to them by the lever to the flaps directly above them by means of a further wire connection. When the machine is standing still the flaps merely hang down loosely and the wires relax. But as soon as the machine takes to flight the flaps fly out, very much like a flag blown by the breeze, and in this position the connecting wires are extended their full length, and the lever is in control. If, for example, the machine should tip suddenly down on the aviator’s right side then the lever is promptly moved over to the left. This action causes the flaps on the right end of the machine to be pulled down, and since this involves an increased angle of incidence of the flaps, the lift they exert is increased. This is sufficient to bring the machine back to an even keel. During this process the wires leading to the flaps on the other end have been relaxed, since both sets of connecting wires are taut only when the lever is in mid-position. The flaps on the opposite end, therefore, have in no way been affected, except to be able to fly out more freely in the wind stream. When making turns, in addition to using the direction rudder, the machine is often artificially inclined by the use of the transverse control. When turning to the right, for example, an instant before setting the direction rudder the lever is moved over to the right side. This lifts up the left end of the machine and therefore causes the turn to be sharper.

Keel

Two horizontal surfaces at the rear, of approximately 80 square feet area, act as keels. Their angle of incidence is low, and the lift they exert is small, their only function being to steady the machine longitudinally.

Propulsion

A 50 horse-power 7-cylinder, Gnome rotary, air-cooled motor is mounted on a shaft in the rear of the lower plane. A two-bladed Chauviere wooden propeller is directly connected to this motor and rotates with it at 1,200 r.p.m. The pitch of the propeller is 4.62 feet and its diameter is 8.5 feet.

The Seats for aviator and two passengers are placed on the front of the lower plane. The Landing Gear, or apparatus upon which the machine starts and alights, consists of two long skids forming part of the framework, upon each of which is mounted a pair of wheels. When starting, this machine runs along the ground on its wheels, but when alighting, the wheels, which are attached to rubber springs, give way, and the machine lands on its skids.

Weight, Speed, Loading and Aspect Ratio

The total weight varies greatly with the amount of gasoline taken aboard, the number of passengers, etc. The limits within which this value lies, however, are given and all calculations are made for an approximate mean weight of the machine with aviator aboard ready for flight. The weight of the Farman machine is from 1,100 pounds to l,350 pounds; the speed, 37 miles per hour; 24 pounds are lifted per horse-power and 2.8 pounds per square foot of surface. The aspect ratio is 5 to 1.

Alterations

Some of the later types of Farman machines were fitted with a single surface direction rudder, instead of the twin^ surfaces. The elevation rudder, in front, is made smaller, and in addition the rear end of the upper of the two fixed horizontal keels (at the rear of the machine) is made movable conjointly with the front rudder to control the elevation of the machine as already noted. In some of the machines only one surface is used at the rear. The two small wheels supporting the rear cell are replaced by a single skid. Other characteristics are substantially as given. The new racing type of Farman has the following characteristics: The surface is reduced to 350 square feet, and the spread to 28 feet. The total weight in flight is about 1,050 pounds. Twenty-one pounds are lifted per horse-power, and 3.0 pounds per square foot of surface. The aspect ratio is 4.2 to 1.