Misplaced Pages

#855144

45-757: Henry Farman's first aircraft had been bought from the Voisin brothers in 1907. Soon after his first flights Farman began to modify and improve the design of the aircraft, which was known as either the Farman I or Voisin-Farman I . During 1908 Farman re-covered the aircraft with 'Continental' rubberized fabric and added the side-curtains, and it was re-designated the Farman I-bis. Following the Wilbur Wright -piloted flying demonstrations at Le Mans in August 1908, Farman fitted ailerons to

90-1070: A Belgian industrialist, Roger Sommer became involved with aviation from an early age. He broke the record for flight duration in 1909. After this, Sommer began working on aircraft construction. He constructed 182 aircraft, making him a pioneer in the field. Sommer was a friend of Roland Garros . Sommer's company, named Sommer, is now a part of Sommer-Allibert. Roger Sommer was the father of former Formula One driver Raymond , and François and Pierre Sommer. Patents [ edit ] 1910 UK patent 13005 (Elastic mountings / shock absorbers) See also [ edit ] Sommer 1910 biplane Authority control databases [REDACTED] International VIAF Other IdRef Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Roger_Sommer_(aviator)&oldid=1237022727 " Categories : 1877 births 1965 deaths People from Meurthe-et-Moselle French aviation record holders Hidden categories: Articles with short description Short description

135-455: A Farman biplane Born 4 August 1877 Pierrepont, Meurthe-et-Moselle , France Died 14 April 1965  ( 1965-04-15 ) (aged 87) Sainte-Maxime Nationality French Occupation(s) Aeronautical engineer and pilot Roger Sommer (4 August 1877 in Pierrepont, France – 14 April 1965 at Sainte-Maxime) was a French aviator. Born to Alfred Sommer,

180-584: A crowd of 20,000 people. In early 1910 Paulhan travelled to America to take part in the Los Angeles aviation meeting, taking a Blériot XI monoplane and a Farman. Flying the Farman, he set an altitude record of 1,258 m (4,126 ft) on 12 January. Farman flew the type to win the International Michelin Cup with a flight of 232 km (144 mi) in 4 hours 17 minutes and 53 seconds at Mourmelon on November 3, . In April 1910 Paulhan won

225-413: A fixed horizontal stabiliser behind the wings and its front-mounted elevator. This was tested at Issy-les-Moulineaux on 26 March 1905 by towing it into the air using Archdeacon's automobile. Fortunately, the test was unmanned, the pilot's place being taken by 50 kg (110 lb) of ballast since the aircraft suffered a structural failure and crashed. It was not rebuilt. Voisin then designed and built

270-508: A glider equipped with floats for the Archdeacon. This aircraft marks the first use of Hargrave cells , used both for the empennage and the wings. Voisin successfully flew it on 8 June 1905, having been towed into the air behind a motor boat on the river Seine between the Billancourt and Sèvres bridges, managing a flight of about 600 m (2,000 ft). While working on this aircraft, Voisin

315-801: A lecture given by Captain Ferdinand Ferber , one of the leading figures in French aviation circles at the time. After the lecture, Voisin approached Ferber and was given an introduction to Ernest Archdeacon , the leading promoter and financial supporter of early French aviation, and Archdeacon hired him to test fly the Wright-type glider that he had built. The tests took place at Berck-sur-Mer in April 1904, and some short flights of around 20 m (66 ft) were achieved. Archdeacon then commissioned Voisin to build another glider of similar design, but differing in having

360-695: A rifle, a steamboat, and an automobile. After completing his studies at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts de Lyon in 1899, he joined an architectural firm in Paris. While in Paris, he saw the Clément Ader Avion III , which was displayed at the Paris International Exposition of 1900. This awakened an interest in the problems of powered flight. After nine months of military service, in February 1904, he attended

405-430: A single fabric surface, with the ribs and two spars enclosed in pockets. The fixed vertical surfaces had been removed and the ailerons replaced with smaller ones by the time the aircraft appeared at Reims in August. The original engine was a 50 hp (37 kW) 4-cylinder inline water-cooled Vivinus. Farman replaced the engine with the new and more reliable 50 hp (37 kW) Gnome Omega rotary engine while

450-629: A slightly changed wing profile was built in 2011 by Stasys Čepaitis, near Panevėžys, Lithuania. The plane was registered as LY-BFJ. As of 2022 Lithuanian aircraft register shows that the aircraft airworthiness expired in September 2019. Data from General characteristics Performance Related development Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era Gabriel Voisin Gabriel Voisin ( French pronunciation: [ɡabʁijɛl vwazɛ̃] ; 5 February 1880 – 25 December 1973)

495-516: A week later: this would have qualified as a new world record had it been officially observed. Sommer later went on to manufacture aircraft himself, his first design derived from the Farman. Sommer's performance was easily beaten by Farman at the Grande Semaine d'Aviation held at Rheims later that month, where he won the prize for distance with a flight 180 km (110 mi) in just under 3 hours 5 minutes at Rheims on August 27. Farman also won

SECTION 10

#1732848248856

540-635: The Howard Wright 1910 Biplane . The Bristol aircraft was so similar to Farman's design that he considered legal action. Farman was rewarded by commercial success, and many examples of the type were sold. Farman III aircraft were also built in Germany by the Albatros Flugzeugwerke at Johannisthal as the Albatros F-2. Examples of a racing variant were built in 1910. This had a reduced wingspan, with

585-521: The London to Manchester air race flying a Farman III, competing against Claude Grahame-White , also flying a Farman. The type was widely used as a training aircraft. By the beginning of 1911 the Aéro-Club de France had issued 354 pilots licences, of which 81 had been gained flying a Farman III; a total only exceeded by the 83 pilots who had qualified flying a Blériot monoplane . In Belgium on July 15, 1910,

630-515: The 14-bis, in November 1906, were Europe's first officially observed and verified heavier-than-air powered flights. Despite its fame, all that the 14-bis could achieve was a short flight on a straight line. It had no potential beyond that, and it was quickly abandoned. Two almost identical pusher biplane machines, with Antoinette engines, were built by the Voisin brothers for two early aviation pioneers:

675-622: The Farman III carried the first head of state in aviation history, Ferdinand I of Bulgaria . Seven examples were used by the Greek military during the Balkan Wars , being used for reconnaissance. Henry Farman's brother, Maurice Farman , constructed his own biplane in 1909, which first flew in February that year. Both machines were derived from the Voisin 1907 biplane , all having similar configurations. Henry's aircraft differed from Maurice's in lacking

720-458: The French air services but also to other allies, including Russia. The Type VIII (about 1,100 built) and Type X (about 900 built) were delivered in 1917 and 1918. Those last to appear Voisin military aircraft were almost identical in appearance to the Voisin III, although they were heavier and featured twice as powerful Peugeot and Renault engines. They also had a longer range and carried almost twice

765-565: The French military. When World War I broke out in 1914, Voisin immediately volunteered for service with the French Air Corps. The Voisin III , a two-seater pusher biplane with a 120 hp Salmson radial engine, was extensively used for bombing and observation missions during World War I. It had a light steel frame and thus could be stationed outdoors. The Voisin III was built in large numbers (about 1,000 ) between 1914 and 1916 and sold not only to

810-556: The Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum . The following aircraft built by Voisin for Bleriot in 1906, the Bleriot III , was a tandem biplane powered by an Antoinette engine driving two tractor propellers with the wings formed into a closed ellipse as seen from the front: according to Voisin's account, Bleriot had initially wanted the lifting surfaces to be circular in front elevation, having experimented with models of this form, and

855-527: The USA. In the 1920s, the company also proposed a 'Motor-Fly' which was a bicycle with a small auxiliary 2-stroke engine added to the back wheel, and also produced pre-fabricated houses that could be built in 3 days ('votre maison en trois jours - your house in 3 days'). These were available with a floor area of 35, 75 or 105 square meters, and were constructed around a metal framework. Some of these houses still exist, but none in their original condition. The houses carry

900-618: The United States during World War II , it was restored and returned to Japan in 1960. An exact replica of a Greek Farman III "Daedalus" is displayed in Athens War Museum (Athens, Greece), a replica of the first German military aircraft Farman III is displayed at Militärhistorisches Museum Flugplatz Berlin-Gatow (Berlin, Germany), a replica of a Farman III is also displayed at Museo nazionale della scienza e della tecnologia Leonardo da Vinci Milano (Milan, Italy) A flyable replica with

945-477: The Voisin, an equal-span pusher biplane with a single forward elevator and biplane tail surfaces carried on booms. Farman's design eliminated the covered nacelle for the pilot which also carried the elevator in the Voisin: instead the elevator was mounted on two pairs of converging booms. Lateral control was effected by ailerons on both upper and lower wings. The undercarriage also differed considerably, replacing

SECTION 20

#1732848248856

990-468: The adoption of their eventual form was the result of a compromise between the two men. This aircraft was unsuccessful, as was its subsequent modification (the Blériot IV) in which a conventional biplane arrangement and a second engine added replaced the forward wing. Experiments were made first with floats and then with a wheeled undercarriage, and the aircraft was wrecked in a taxiing accident at Bagatelle on

1035-519: The aircraft was at the Grande Semaine d'Aviation at Reims, and the new engine's reliability contributed towards his success there. The aircraft had been entered with the Vivinus engine, and the last-minute engine replacement caused some of his competitors to try to get him disqualified. Production aircraft were fitted with a variety of engines, including the Gnome and the E.N.V. water-cooled V-8 engine. In 1910

1080-583: The aircraft. The Voisin brothers built another aircraft, to be called the Farman II, incorporating refinements of the design to Farman's specification. Voisin later sold this aircraft to J.T.C. Moore-Brabazon . Brabazon subsequently exported the aircraft to England, where it became known as the Bird of Passage . This episode angered Farman, and caused him to sever his association with Voisin in early 1909 and start aircraft construction for himself. The Farman III was, like

1125-562: The bomb load of their predecessor. A complete and original Voisin Type VIII bomber aircraft is preserved in excellent condition at the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum in Washington,D.C. It is the oldest preserved bomber aircraft in the world. Voisin abandoned aviation, citing the trauma of the military use of his more advanced airplanes (the Voisin III ) during the war in addition to

1170-452: The boys' education with military rigor. The boys also went for expeditions along the river, went fishing, and built numerous contraptions. When his grandfather died, Gabriel was sent to school in Lyon and Paris, where he learned industrial design, a field Voisin claims to have been exceptionally gifted. He often returned home, and by the end of the century, the brothers had built, among other things,

1215-416: The cold. Ailerons were fitted only on the upper wing, and fuel and oil tankage was increased to 230 lt and 80 lt respectively to give an endurance of 12 hours. One of the first examples built was bought by Roger Sommer , who only two months after learning to fly set a new French endurance record with a flight of 1 hour 50 minutes on 1 August 1909, bettering this with a flight of 2hr 27min 15sec made

1260-518: The design and production of luxury automobiles under the name Avions Voisin . Gabriel Voisin was born on 5 February 1880 in Belleville-sur-Saône , France, and his brother Charles Voisin , two years younger than him, was his main childhood companion. When his father abandoned the family, his mother, Amélie, took her sons to Neuville-sur-Saône , where they settled near her father's factory. Their grandfather, Charles Forestier, took charge of

1305-557: The design was modified by adding an elevator to the upper tailplane surface. The Farman III had enormous influence on European aircraft design, especially in England. Drawings and details of the aircraft were published in England by Flight , and it was so widely imitated that its layout became referred to as the "Farman Type". Among these aircraft are the Bristol Boxkite , the Short S.27 and

1350-555: The expansion of their factory, resulting, for example, in the Canard Voisin of 1911. Voisin was greatly affected by the death of his brother Charles in 1912 in an automobile accident near Belleville-sur-Saône. Still, he continued the expansion of the Boulogne-Billancourt factory under the changed name Société Anonyme des Aéroplanes G. Voisin . After 1912, the factory shifted its manufacturing and sales towards supplying

1395-686: The first for Leon Delagrange in March 1907, and the second for his friend and rival Henry Farman in October 1907. The second one became known as the Voisin-Farman I , and was flown by Farman to win Archdeacon's Grand Prix d'Aviation for making the first one-kilometer closed-circuit flight on 13 January 1908. Both Farman and Delagrange won great fame with these aircraft, competing with each other for aviation records. The Voisins' machines became widely known as Europe's first successful aircraft. In 1909, Voisin

Farman III - Misplaced Pages Continue

1440-753: The invasion of France by Nazi Germany forcing him to close down his factory. "In 1939, a certain Hitler unleashed the regrettable chain of events that French people are all too familiar with." - Gabriel Voisin. After 1945, he turned his attention to designing a minimalist car for the masses, the Biscooter , thousands of which were produced under licence in Spain during the 1950s as the Biscúter . Today, his pre-war luxury automobiles have become highly prized by collectors, both in Europe and in

1485-593: The logo 'Avion Voisin Issy', just like the other products from the factory. In 1960 he retired to his country house, "La Cadolle", at Le Villars near Tournus on the banks of the Saône river, where he wrote his memoirs. A few years later, in 1965, he was made a Commander of the Legion d'Honneur . He died on Christmas Day , 25 December 1973, in Ozenay , Saône-et-Loire at the age of 93. He

1530-398: The morning of 12 November 1906. Later that day, also at Bagatelle, Alberto Santos-Dumont succeeded in flying his 14-bis canard biplane for a distance of over 100 metres. After the failure of this machine, Voisin and Blériot dissolved their partnership, and Voisin set up a company with his brother Charles Voisin to design and manufacture aircraft. Appareils d'Aviation Les Frères Voisin

1575-415: The pair of wheels with a pair of skids each carrying a pair of wheels sprung using bungee cord and restrained by radius rods . As first flown in April 1909 the aircraft had vertical fixed surfaces carrying twin rudders on their trailing edges and very broad-chord ailerons. The airframe was made of wood, mainly ash , with members joined using aluminium sockets. Wing and tail surfaces were covered with

1620-482: The passenger carrying prize, and came second in the altitude competition. Two examples took part in the aviation meeting held in Blackpool in September 1909, one flown by Farman and the second by Louis Paulhan , winning first and third prizes for distance flown and first and second prizes in the speed contest, and at the end of October 1909 Paulhan made the first exhibition flight at Brooklands in his Farman, watched by

1665-534: The pilot's nacelle and not using a Renault inline engine. Maurice and Henry began to collaborate closely in 1912. One original Farman III is known to have survived, on display in Tokorozawa Aviation Museum (Tokorozama, Japan). This example made the first powered flight in Japan, piloted by Yoshitoshi Tokugawa on 19 December 1911. It flew until 1913, when a fatal accident grounded the aircraft. Captured by

1710-456: The then embryonic demand for civilian aircraft. From then until 1958, he concentrated his efforts on making automobiles under the brand of Avions Voisin . His early cars were some of the finest luxury vehicles in the world, with unique technical details. Many of them won in competition. However, the luxury car market shrank in the 1930s because of depressed economic conditions followed in June 1940 by

1755-455: The upper wing spanning 8.5 m (27 ft 11 in) and a monoplane tail. Produced to make an attempt to win the 1910 Michelin Cup long-distance competition, this aircraft had the same basic configuration but differed in having 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) extensions on the upper wing, giving a total wing area of 70 m (750 sq ft) and a long nacelle to protect the pilot from

1800-476: The weather was unsuitable, with a strong crosswind, Voisin tried to fly the aircraft since obtaining permission to use the river was difficult. He made a short flight in his glider and then tried a flight in Bleriot's. This took off quickly, but Voisin could not control it, so it crashed into the river. Voisin was trapped inside and was lucky to escape drowning. Louis Bleriot's cine footage of this experiment survives in

1845-406: Was a French aviation pioneer and the creator of Europe's first manned, engine-powered, heavier-than-air aircraft capable of a sustained (1 km), circular, controlled flight, which was made by Henry Farman on 13 January 1908 near Paris, France. During World War I , the company founded by Voisin became a major producer of military aircraft, notably the Voisin III . Subsequently, he switched to

Farman III - Misplaced Pages Continue

1890-545: Was approached by Louis Blériot , who asked him to build a similar machine, later known as the Bleriot II . This differed principally in having a smaller span lower wing, resulting in the outer 'side-curtains' between the upper and lower wings angled outwards. After this first flight, Bleriot suggested to Voisin that they form a partnership to build aircraft, so Voisin ended his association with Archdeacon's syndicate. Voisin attempted flights in both aircraft on 18 July 1905. Although

1935-610: Was buried at Le Villars. Roger Sommer (aviator) French aviator [REDACTED] This article does not cite any sources . Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources . Unsourced material may be challenged and removed . Find sources:   "Roger Sommer" aviator  –  news   · newspapers   · books   · scholar   · JSTOR ( October 2022 ) ( Learn how and when to remove this message ) Roger Sommer [REDACTED] Roger Sommer in

1980-662: Was made a Chevalier of the French Legion of Honor , and along with Blériot was awarded the Prix Osiris, awarded by the Institut de France . In the same year, Voisin married Adrienne-Lola Bernet; they had one daughter, Janine. Later, Farman modified and improved the Voisin pusher biplane considerably. He eventually ended his cooperation with the Voisin brothers, following a disagreement, and started manufacturing his own designs , which became very successful. The Voisin brothers continued

2025-606: Was the world's first commercial airplane factory. At this time, aspiring European aviators were in fierce competition to be the first to achieve powered heavier-than-air flights. Until Wilbur Wright's demonstrations at Le Mans (France) in August 1908, many people did not believe the claims of the Wright brothers to have achieved sustained flights: for instance, that the Wrights' Flyer III had flown 24 miles (38.9 km) in 39 minutes 23 seconds on 5 October 1905. Santos-Dumont's flights in

#855144