Voisin 1907 biplane
Voisin 1907 biplane | |
---|---|
Henri Farman winning the Archdeacon Prize for the first closed-circuit kilometre flight in Europe | |
Role | Experimental aircraft |
National origin | France |
Manufacturer | Frères Voisin |
Designer | Gabriel Voisin |
First flight | 30 March 1907 |
Number built | ~60[1] |
The 1907 Voisin biplane (designated the Voisin II by the 1913 edition of
Background
Between 1904 and 1908 there was fierce competition between European aviation experimenters attempting to achieve powered heavier-than-air flight. Although the
In 1906
Design and development
After assisting
Early flights
At the same time, the Voisin brothers and their draughtsman Maurice Colliex[8] were building a similar aircraft, which had been ordered by the sculptor Léon Delagrange. This became known as the Delagrange I,[3] since the Voisin brothers had decided that the aircraft they built would bear the name of their owner prominently placed on the tail surfaces, "Voisin Frères" appearing underneath in much smaller lettering. This was done because Voisin believed that people would be more ready to buy aircraft if the glory of flying them went to them rather than to the builder. This practise is a source of confusion to historians and was also to lead to considerable resentment on Gabriel Voisin's part,[9] since the focus of attention was indeed generally on the pilots rather than on those who were responsible for the design and construction of the aircraft.
Powered by a 50 hp V8
The first attempt to fly the aircraft was made by Gabriel Voisin on 28 February 1907 at the
Farman's successes
On 15 October he succeeded in making a flight of around 285 m (935 ft), which would have been a world record for distance had it been officially observed and measured, and following more flights on 19 and 23 October, including an officially witnessed flight of 185 m (607 ft) which won an award from the
Later that year Farman made some modifications to the aircraft, replacing the biplane front elevator with a single surface and reducing the span of the rear horizontal surfaces.
Development in 1908
In March 1908 a period of intense competition between Farman and Delagrange began, Delagrange now flying the new Delagrange II incorporating the modifications that had been made to Farman's aircraft, now renamed the Farman Ibis and with a new covering of "Continental" brand rubberised balloon fabric replacing the original varnished silk.
The distinctive 'side curtains' between the outer two sets of
Production aircraft
Farman finally ended his collaboration with Voisin Frères after a disagreement over an aircraft they had built to his specifications and then sold to John Moore-Brabazon, who named the aircraft the Bird of Passage. This caused Farman to start building aircraft himself, the first of which was the Farman III.[26] The aircraft sold to Moore-Brabazon, which was to become typical of the production version of the aircraft, differed from the Farman I in having the gap between the wings increased to 2 m (6 ft 7 in), and was powered by a 37 kW (50 hp) E.N.V. water-cooled V-8 engine. Although it had the side curtains that had been added to the Farman I it did not have ailerons.
Armand Zipfel was one of the first to buy a Voisin aircraft, which he took to Berlin in January 1909 to make one of the first public demonstrations of heavier-than-air flight in Germany, organised by the Berliner Lokal Anzeiger.
French aviator
Henri Brégi took two examples to Argentina and made the first aeroplane flight in Argentina on 6 February 1910.[28]
Around sixty were eventually built, with a variety of engines according to the wishes of the buyer. Among these were the aircraft in which Captain Ferber was killed and the example flown by Louis Paulhan, which was the first aircraft to fly powered by a Gnome Omega rotary engine. Another example was bought by Harry Houdini, who took it to Australia and made a series of flights at Diggers Rest near Melbourne in March 1910. Although claimed to be the first flights made in Australia,[29] some short flights had been made by Colin Defries in December 1909, but Houdini's flights are credited with being the first sustained and controlled flights made in Australia.[30]
Specifications
Data from Opdycke (1999) p.264
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Length: 13.45 m (44 ft 2 in)
- Wingspan: 10.80 m (35 ft 5 in)
- Wing area: 42 m2 (450 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 320 kg (705 lb)
- Gross weight: 550 kg (1,213 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Antoinette V8 water-cooled, 37 kW (50 hp)
- Propellers: 2-bladed Voisin
See also
- Harry Houdini: The Aviator — Houdini's flight at Diggers Rest, Friday, 18 March 1910.
Notes
- ^ Born in France to British father, Henri (or Henry) Farman took French nationality in 1937
- ^ The Wright brothers were the first to understand the necessity for coordinated yaw and roll control in order to make fully controlled turns
- ^ " The Voisin's undercarriage supported, never modified, three hundred landings inflicted by H. Farman ", in l'Aérophile 1908 feb.p.39
References
- ^ Opdycke (1999), p. 265
- ^ Jane All the World's Aircraft, 1913, p. 7d.
- ^ a b c d ""Voisin-Farman I." Encyclopædia Britannica. 2007. Encyclopædia Britannica Online". Retrieved 6 December 2007.
- ^ Les premiers Farman https://www.hydroretro.net/etudegh/premiersfarman.pdf
- ^ Sharpe (2000) p. 311
- ^ Villard (2002), p. 37
- ^ Opdycke 1999 p.46
- ISBN 1-4191-0156-0.
- ^ Voisin (1963) p. 166
- ^ Opdycke (1999) p.263
- ^ "Nouveaux Essais de l'Aéroplane Delagrange". L'Aérophile (in French): 104. April 1907.
- ^ "L'Aéroplane Delagrange". L'Aérophile (in French): 64. March 1907.
- ^ "Nouveaux Essais de l'Aéroplane Delagrange". L'Aérophile (in French): 105. April 1907.
- ^ Gibbs-Smith (1974), pp. 237-8
- ^ "L'Aéroplane Delagrange". L'Aérophile (in French): 319. November 1907.
- ^ Gibbs-Smith (1974), p. 244
- ^ "Henri Farman Vole Près d'un Kilomètre". L'Aérophile (in French): 287. October 1907.
- ^ "Henri Farman Vole Près d'un Kilomètre". L'Aérophile (in French): 288. October 1907.
- ^ Gibbs-Smith (1974), p. 253
- ^ "L'Aéroplane Farman". L'Aérophile (in French): 39. January 1908.
- ^ The roll is induced by yaw as in 2 axis control
- ^ a b c Gibbs-Smith (1974), pp. 254-5
- ^ "Un Quart d'Heure de Vol Méchanique". L'Aérophile (in French): 218. 1 July 1908.
- ^ "Splendids Vols d'Henri Farman". L'Aérophile (in French): 402. 15 October 1908.
- ^ "Les Merveilles de l'Aviation". L'Aérophile (in French): 458. 15 November 1908.
- ^ Villard (2002), p. 43
- ^ "1910 to 1920 - Early Flying in South Africa | South African Power Flying Association". Archived from the original on 2015-08-20. Retrieved 2015-06-18. 1910 to 1920 - Early Flying in South Africa
- ^ Ficke, George. "Biography Henri Bregi". Early Aviators. George Ficke. Retrieved 30 September 2016.
- ^ "Houdini Flying in Australia". Flight: 332. 30 April 1910.
- ^ "First to Fly in Australia". Australian National Aviation Museum. Archived from the original on 27 January 2014. Retrieved 28 January 2014.
Bibliography
- ISBN 0-11-290180-8.
- ISBN 0-19-516035-5.
- ISBN 0-7643-0752-5.
- Sharpe, Michael (2000) Biplanes, Triplanes, and Seaplanes London: Friedman/Fairfax Books ISBN 1-58663-300-7
- Taylor M. J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. p. 884.
- Villard, Henry Serrano (2002). Contact! : the story of the early aviators. Mineola, N.Y.: Dover. pp. 39–53. ISBN 0-486-42327-1.
- Vivian, E. C.; Lockwood, W. L. (1921). History of Aeronautics. London: Collins. pp. 313–14. ISBN 9780585007847.
- Voisin, Gabriel (1963). Men, Women and 10,000 Kites. London: Putnam.Translation of Mes 10,000 Cerfs-volants, 1960, Editions de la Table Ronde, Paris.
Further reading
- Gabriel Voisin, "Henry Farman" in "Pionniers", Revue Aeronautique des Vieilles Tiges, No 7, page 13, January 1966.
External links
- Footage of aircraft labeled "Henri Farman No. 1", at Issy-les-Moulineaux, France, in 1908.
- Photo of 1907 biplane in Argentina (es)