MarketFarman F.120
Company Profile

Farman F.120

The Farman F.120 were a family of multi-engine monoplane aircraft designed and produced by the French aircraft manufacturer Farman Aviation Works. It was operated in a diverse range of purposes, including as a commercial airliner and as a military bomber aircraft.

Development
During the early 1920s, the Aero Club of France set out numerous rules and regulations for its commercial airplane contest of 1923. The F.121 or F.3X was the first version to fly, with four 180 hp Hispano-Suiza 8Ac V8 engines mounted in tandem push-pull pairs mounted on stub wings, however, this arrangement caused cooling problems for the rear engines and the F.120/F.4X version followed shortly afterwards, powered by three 300 hp Salmson Az.9 radial engines. Development continued and a single F.122, modified from an F.4X, was powered by a pair of 400 hp Lorraine 12Db engines. Two military versions were also built, the F.123 with two 450 hp Hispano-Suiza 12Hb V12s, or F.124 with two 420 hp Gnome et Rhône 9Ad Jupiter radial engines. ==Design==
Design
The Farman F.120 was a multi-engine multirole monoplane aircraft. It was relatively well-furnished for the era, being able to routinely conduct night flights via equipment such as searchlights, landing flares, position lights, and general illumination. Dependent on the variant of the aircraft, as many as four engines could be installed. The aircraft possessed relatively high fuel efficiency for the era. The F.120 was equipped with a relatively thick wing, possessing a span of 19 m (62.34 ft.) and a chord of 6 m (19.68 ft.) at its centre. Both the thickness and the chord of the wing decrease towards the tips. The supporting framework of the wing was entirely enclosed. The fuselage was internally divided into various sections; the foremost section contained the baggage compartment along with, after which and just forward of the wing, the cockpit. This cockpit provided two seats for its crew, typically comprising one pilot and an assistant. The centre of the fuselage was occupied by the passenger compartment, which had sufficient space for up to 12 passengers to travel on comfortable seats even with a central isle. Primary access to the interior was via a single sliding door, while multiple exits were provided across the aircraft to aid in emergency egress. On account of having an entirely unobstructed fuselage base, it was relatively straightforward to convert the aircraft into an armed military configuration, such as that of a bomber or a torpedo plane. ==Operational history==
Operational history
Despite being most commonly seen in lists of ugliest aircraft, following its first flight in 1923, the F.120 won a French airliner competition, the 1923 Grand Prix des Avions de Transports and its 500,000 francs first prize, before seeing service with several European airlines. The F.120 was capable of carrying up to nine passengers, and served on Farman airline's route Paris-Brussels-Amsterdam, but also with Danish Air Lines between Copenhagen and Amsterdam. They served until the late 1920s. ==Variants==
Variants
at Dübendorf airfield near Zürich, circa 1925. ;F.120: A single engined biplane bomber, powered by a Lorraine 12Da engine. First flown in 1924, only two F.120 bombers were built. ;F.4X: The original designation of the F.120 Jabiru ;F.120 Jabiru: Four transport monoplanes powered by 3x Salmson 9AZ water-cooled radial engines. ;F.3bis: A twin engined transport aircraft powered by 2x Lorraine 12Db engines, 1 built. ;F.3X: The original designation of the F.121 Jabiru prototype. ;F.121 Jabiru: Nine transport aircraft powered by 4x Hispano-Suiza 8Ac engines, one also modified from a F.120 Jabiru. ;F.123: A single three-seater bomber powered by 2x Hispano-Suiza 12Hb engines. ;F.124: A single three-seater bomber powered by 2x Gnome et Rhône 9Ad Jupiter engines. Civil operators ; • Danish Air Lines ; • Farman airlines ==Specifications (F.121)==
Popular culture
The american baggage manufacturer Tom Bihn has long used a Farman F.121 Jabiru in its logo. ==References==
tickerdossier.comtickerdossier.substack.com