Breguet's Pre-1914 ID Challenge #458

[aerohydro]

Let's see how this one fares.

Surprisingly, this is the first time that a design by the constructor of this particular flying machine has featured in this Challenge series.

It's also the first time that the pilot - who is famous in his own right - has featured.

Scoreboard at the start of Challenge #458:

88.50 Rbailey
87.85 aerohydro
52.95 Varese2002
41.20 Aquilius
33.80 Rod_Filan
29.45 richard B
26.85 Tork1945
**************
(those above this section must wait 24 hours before answering)
**************
11.40 Airarticles
9.20 Doc
8.50 Lodzermensch
7.70 ermeio
7.30 matte_kudasai
7.30 YavorD
6.30 AnYun
6.00 Cruze
6.00 Flamingo
5.95 Froggy
5.00 sobrien
**************
(those immediately above this section must wait 12 hours before answering.)
**************
4.20 Wind In The Wires
3.30 berman
3.00 joegertler
3.00 sodium
2.60 Mattyboy
1.00 matthewk
1.00 Catfish
1.00 dhc2pilot
1.00 paolomiana
1.00 Tripehound Flyboy
0.20 EricGoedkoop

Previous challenges are here: Breguet's Pre-1914 Aircraft Challenge.

The rules are:

1. The thread title must be "Breguet's Pre-1914 ID Challenge #......".
2. The score board, link and rules must be copied to the beginning of each thread, so that we know where we are. The score board and the correct answer to the challenge must also be placed at end of each thread.
3. The flying object must have been dreamt up before 1914 (no limit backwards in time ....).
4. There are no limits to the flying object for the pre-1914 series. There is no ruling that it must be flown, or completely built.
5. Machines which exist only as 'paper', that is absolutely no material has been cut to construct it, are excluded from this ID Challenge.
6. The picture / drawing must show as much of the flying object as possible, but views showing the machine 'incomplete' are possible (with discretion).
7. Challenges which depict a machine already earlier presented are disqualified.
8. If there is any doubt as to the eligibility of a flying object for the challenge details should be PM'd to Breguet BEFORE the object is submitted.
9. Once someone has received 5 (five) points, they belong to ROYALTY, and must wait 12hrs after the posting of the new challenge before they can post an answer. Once someone has achieved 25 (twentyfive) points, they must wait 24hrs after the original post before being able to post an answer.
10. In order to correctly identify the flying object, an answer must mention a characteristic of the design which has helped with its identification, or include a reference to a publication or website, which will confirm the attribution.
11. The first person to ID the challenge correctly gets to post the next challenge. If this can not be done for any reason Breguet himself will post the next challenge.
12. If a ROYALTY gives the correct answer too early, the challenge is over, he gets no point but has to post the next one. In lieu of the fact that the "novices" have in effect been "cheated" of their "exclusive" time that next post should be a relatively easy one. Anyone repeating the correct answer at the right time gets neither a point nor the right to post the next challenge.
13. The final arbitrator in relation to questions about the rules will be Breguet.

[MattyBoy]

It is H. Farman's flight of 13th January 1908, in the Voisin-Farman I (also noted as the Voisin II in Jane's All-the-World's Aircraft). Recognisable by the boxkite tail, forward dual-surface elevator and noticable curvature of the nacelle.

Below is a nice website describing Farman's endeavours in 1907-1908.

History of Airplanes - Voisin Farman I

[aerohydro]

Hello Mattyboy,

Absolutely correct! The photo shows Henri Farman just as he crosses the start/finish line, to complete a 1km long circular flight, thus winning the Grand Prix d'Aviation that had been offered by Henri Deutsch de la Meurthe.

The aircraft was built for Farman by Voisin Frères, Charles and Gabriel. Although an earlier machine in this Challenge series - specifically Challenge #179 - had been constructed by the Voisin Brothers, it was designed by someone else.

This Challenge is the first one that was designed and built by the Voisins.

Towards the end of 1908, Farman placed an order for a new Voisin biplane, and although it was built, a turn of events meant that Farman never took possession. In a opportunistic business deal, the Voisins decided to sell Farman’s machine to another aviator (John Moore-Brabazon). Angered by this, Farman promptly cancelled his order and proceeded to set up his own aircraft company - one which proved to be far more successful than the Voisins.

Paul

[aerohydro]

Answer: the Voisin-Farman I, flown by Henri Farman

Scoreboard at the end of Challenge #458:

88.50 Rbailey
87.85 aerohydro
52.95 Varese2002
41.20 Aquilius
33.80 Rod_Filan
29.45 richard B
26.85 Tork1945
**************
(those above this section must wait 24 hours before answering)
**************
11.40 Airarticles
9.20 Doc
8.50 Lodzermensch
7.70 ermeio
7.30 matte_kudasai
7.30 YavorD
6.30 AnYun
6.00 Cruze
6.00 Flamingo
5.95 Froggy
5.00 sobrien
**************
(those immediately above this section must wait 12 hours before answering.)
**************
4.20 Wind In The Wires
3.60 Mattyboy
3.30 berman
3.00 joegertler
3.00 sodium
1.00 matthewk
1.00 Catfish
1.00 dhc2pilot
1.00 paolomiana
1.00 Tripehound Flyboy
0.20 EricGoedkoop

Challenge #459 to be hosted by MattyBoy!

[Tork1945]

As the Challenge picture is a famous classic shot by the Agence Rol it is exactly known who is in the picture, beside Henri (Henry) Farman who was piloting the plane.

From left to right are:

René Demanest, André Fournier, Louis Blériot (commissaire au départ et à l'arrivée) and Charles Voisin.

In the car are Ernest Archdeacon (one of the prize givers) and his wife.

[quote}...to complete a 1km long circular flight[/quote]

The actual flight of Henry / Henri Farman was between 1500 and 1800 m. Although the two points (start and return) were exactly at 500 m distance, Farman was unable to fly the machine that way. As this Voisin-built Farman had no ailerons and no wing warping the only thing to do was to fly a level turn very steady. The actual path of flight has more the form of a lasso or pear form.

Quite special is that some original footage of the event remains here

Tork1945

[Doc]

Many references call this the Voisin HF-1. Additionally, some call it the Farman HF-1, since after delivery from the Voisin Factory, Farman made some significant modifications, and it was not really as it came from the Voisin Factory.

Also, just for completeness, this flight took place at Issy. Doc

[aerohydro]

And painted on the tail of the flying machine are the words:

Henri Farman No.1

There is a lengthy webpage, at the early aviation website hosted by Monash University, that details the development and nomenclature of the early Farman aircraft:

Henri, Maurice and Dick Farman - the Aircraft

Paul

[Tork1945]

Voisin 1907 biplane - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The first became known as the Voisin-Delagrange I and the latter as the Voisin-Farman, 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 [sic ! above] in much smaller lettering. This practise is a source of confusion to historians and was also to lead to considerable resentment on Gabriel Voisin's part,[15] since the focus of attention was often on the pilots rather than those who were responsible for the design of the aircraft. The idea behind doing this had been that people would be more ready to buy aircraft if the glory of flying them went to the customer rather than the constructor: the device succeeded only too well as far as Voisin was concerned.

[15] Gabriel Voisin, Men, Women and 10,000 Kites, London: Putnam, 1963. Originally, Mes 10.000 Cerfs-volants, 1960, Editions de la Table Ronde, Paris

[Tork1945]

It strikes me that the title of the French edition (1960) of the autobiography of Gabriel Voisin is so different from the 1963 published English translation. The English text seems to be more 'compact' by about 50 pages.

Voisin, Gabriel. 1960. Mes 10000 cerfs-volants. Paris: La table ronde. 292 p.

Voisin, Gabriel. 1963. Men, women and 10,000 kites. London: Putnam. 248 p.

Further there is a small site (French language) of Les amis de Gabriel Voisin.

Tork1945

[Tork1945]

Searching further on Gabriel Voisin and his writing I found out that in 1962 he wrote the second part of his autobiography

Voisin, Gabriel. 1962 (reissued 2010). Mes mille et une voitures. Paris: La Table Ronde. 220 p. Reissue ISBN 978-2360590070

It could be that this second part is less interesting for aviation buffs as it will deal from 1919 with Avions Voisin, the firm he had established for design and production of luxury cars.

An English translation of the French original has just appeared

Voisin, Gabriel. 2012 My 1001 Cars, The Reference Edition. London : Faustrol. 294 p. Reissue ISBN 978-0-9569811-2-7

This English edition looks very, very luxury and has about 60 pages more ! Probably very lavishly illustrated. More information can be found here and here.

Do note the coming books of Faustroll (The Right Flyer and Elise - The first Aviatrix) they may be candidates for the Christmas 2012 selection, when they appear in time.

Gabriel Voisin (1880-1973) wrote in 1966 a piece titled "Henry Farman (1874–1960)", it appeared in the Revue Aeronautique Trimestrielle des Vieilles Tiges No7, January 1966. pp 8–16.

Unfortunately I do not have this article but it might be very interesting what the old Gabriel Voisin had to say in his recollections of Henry (sic) Farman.

Tork1945