Flight, December 1919

SOME FRENCH MACHINES AT THE SHOW

Farman Freres

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   Last, but by no means least, there is on view on the Farman stand the little sporting biplane about which so much has been heard of late. This machine - a small biplane - has been designed to provide a two-seater of low initial price and ditto upkeep. The sporting machine is said to be capable of looping with two up, and owing to its very light weight (about 880 lbs. "all up") it lands very easily and slowly (at about 28 miles an hour it is claimed, although this does certainly appear a little optimistic). With its 30 h.p. engine it is said to have quite a good speed, and the makers estimate the running cost a t something like 13 centimes per kilometre.

Flight, January 1920

The Paris Aero Show 1919

The Farman Exhibits

   The second machine exhibited on the Farman stand was the small sporting biplane about which a good deal had been heard before the show. This little machine, the "David,” has made several notable flights, piloted by the Farman pilot, Bossoutrot, among which may be mentioned one from Paris to Biarritz. This flight was made in the following times: Toussus-le-Noble to Bordeaux (310 miles), 3 h. 50 mins. Bordeaux to Biarritz (108 miles), 1 h. 25 mins. Total, 418 miles in 5 1/4 hours. The fuel consumption on this flight was 65 litres (14 1/2 gallons) of petrol and 2,2 gallons of oil, the cost of which is 111 fr. This is certainly cheap travelling in these days, but something should, of course, be allowed for maintenance and depreciation. However, Farmans are certainly demonstrating that flying need not be the very expensive pastime that some people imagine it to be. The price of the “David’’ is 15,000 fr. (or about ?375 at the present rate of exchange).
   The Farman "David" is not a particularly pretty machine, having evidently been designed with a view to ease of production and replacement. The fuselage is of rectangular section, with no deck fairing aft of the cockpits. The covering is of three-ply wood, attached to the longerons and to vertical and diagonal wooden struts. The two seats are placed very close behind one another on a small box-like support, the passenger sitting with his legs spread out, one on each side of the pilot. A small aluminium cowl encloses the neat little Le Rhone 60 h.p. engine, except for a small opening in front and one underneath. The wings are square tipped, probably with a view to simplicity and cheapness of construction, and are staggered. The centre section of the top plane is carried on four vertical struts, while the interplane struts number one set on each side, the struts being placed in N formation so as to do without incidence wires. The bracing is in the form of piano wire.