Farman F.60 Goliath
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| F.60 Goliath | |
|---|---|
 The passenger transport Goliath |
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| Type | Airliner |
| Manufacturer | Farman Aviation Works |
| Maiden flight | January 1919 |
| Introduction | February 1919 |
| Number built | approx. 60 |
The Farman F.60 Goliath was an airliner produced by the Farman Aviation Works from 1919. It was instrumental in the creation of early airlines and commercial routes in Europe after World War I.
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[edit] Design and development
The Goliath was initially designed in 1918 as a heavy bomber capable of carrying 1000 kg of bombs with a range of 1500 km. It was a conventional fixed-undercarriage biplane of wooden construction with canvas covering, powered by two Salmson Z.9 engines. It had a simple and robust, yet light structure. The wings were rectangular with a constant profile. Hollow wooden main wing spars were used for the first time.
It was undergoing initial testing when World War I came to an end and Farman realized there would be no orders for his design. Nonetheless he was quick to understand that the big, box-like, fuselage of the Goliath could be easily modified to convert the aircraft into an airliner. Commercial aviation was beginning to appear and was in need of purpose-built aircraft. With the new passenger cabin arrangement, the Goliath could carry up to 12 or 14 passengers. It had large windows to give the passengers a view of the surroundings. The Salmson engines could be replaced by others types (Renault, Lorraine) if a customer desired it. Approximately sixty F.60 Goliath were built.
[edit] Variants
- FF.60
- Designation of the first three prototype.
- F.60
- Civil passenger transport version, powered by two 260-hp (194-kW) Salmson CM.9 radial piston engines.
- F.60bis
- This designation was given to transport version, powered by two 300-hp (224-kW) Salmson 9Az engines.
- F.60 Bn.2
- Three-seat night bomber evolved from the F.60 Goliath. It was equipped with two 260-hp Salmson 9Zm engines, and 210 were delivered to French naval and army aviation.
- F.60 Torp
- Torpedo-bomber floatplane, powered by two Gnome-Rhone Jupiter radial piston engines.
- F.60M
- Blunt-nose version of 1924, powered by two 310-hp (231-kW) Renault 12Fy engines.
- F.61
- An F.60 equipped with two 300-hp (224-kW) Renault 12Fe engines, which gave it better performance. Only two were built.
- F.62 BN.4
- Export version for the Soviet Union, powered by two 450-hp (336-kW) Lorraine-Dietrich V-12 engines.
- F.63 BN.4
- Similar to the F.62 BN.4 export version, powered by two 450-hp (336-kW) Gnome-Rhone Jupiter radial piston engines.
- F.65
- This version was built for the French Navy, it could be fitted with interchangeable float or landing gear.
- F.66 BN.3
- One Jupiter-powered aircraft was built, intended to be exported to Romania.
- F.68 BN.4
- Thirty-two Jupiter-powered bomber aircraft exported to Poland.
- F.4X
- One special Goliath aircraft, powered by four Salmson radial piston engines in tandem pairs.
- F.140 Super Goliath
- Super-heavy bomber prototype, powered by four 500-hp (373-kW) Farman engines in tandem pairs.
[edit] Operational history
Farman was quick to press the Goliath into service and made several publicity flights. On February 8, 1919, the Goliath flew 12 passengers from Toussus-le-Noble to Kenley, near Croydon. As British authorities were refusing to give a commercial airliner permission to overfly British territory, Lucien Bossoutrot and his passengers were all ex-military pilots who wore uniforms and mission orders for the circumstance. The flight went well and lasted 2 hours and 30 minutes. The pilot and passengers were well received in England, the return flight being made on February 9 and lasting 2 hours and 10 minutes.
Other flights were made to publicize the Goliath. On April 3, 1919, 14 passengers were flown to an altitude of 6200 m (20,341 ft). Later, on August 11, 1919, An F.60 flew 8 passengers and a ton of supplies on a raid from Paris to Casablanca and Dakar, flying more than 4500 km.
Airlines, which were appearing very quickly all over Europe, were quick to acquire the F.60. In 1920, the Compagnie des Grands Express Aériens (CGEA) began scheduling regular flights between Le Bourget and Croydon. The Compagnie des Messageries Aériennes (CMA) soon followed suit. The Société Générale de Transports Aérien (SGTA) opened a Paris-Brussels route in July 1920, flown by the Goliath. In May 1921, this route was extended to Amsterdam. Belgian airline SNETA also opened a Brussels-London route in April 1921.
[edit] Operators
[edit] Civilian operators
- Farman Airlines (Société Générale des Transports Aériens, SGTA)
- Compagnie des Grands Express Aériens (CGEA)
- Compagnie des Messageries Aériennes (CMA)
- Air Union
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- Société Nationale pour l'Etude des Transports Aériens (SNETA)
[edit] Military operators
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[edit] Specifications (F.60)
Data from Histoire Mondiale des Avions de Ligne, by Alain Pelletier[1]
General characteristics
- Crew: 2
- Capacity: 12-14 passengers
- Length: 14.33 m (47 ft)
- Wingspan: 26.50 m (86 ft 11 in)
- Height: 5.00 m (16 ft 5 in)
- Wing area: 161 m² (1732 ft²)
- Empty weight: 2500 kg (5,506 lb)
- Loaded weight: 4770 kg (10,506 lb)
- Useful load: 3000 kg (6,607 lb)
- Powerplant: 2× Salmson Z.9 water-cooled radial engines, 312 kW (230 hp) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 140 km/h (87 mph)
- Cruise speed: 120 km/h (75 mph)
- Range: 400 km (248 mi)
- Service ceiling 4000 m (13,123 ft)
[edit] See also
Related lists
[edit] References
- ^ Pelletier, Alain (2004-04-09). Histoire mondiale des avions de ligne depuis 1908 (in French). ISBN 9782726893678.
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