Farman F.60 Goliath

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Farman_F.60_Goliath

The Farman F.60 Goliath was a French airliner and bomber 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.

The Goliath was initially designed in 1918 as a heavy bomber capable of carrying
1,000 kg (2,200 lb) of bombs with a range of 1,500 km (930 mi). It was a
fixed-undercarriage three-bay biplane of fabric-covered wood construction,
powered by two Salmson Z.9 engines. It had a simple and robust, yet light
structure. The wings were rectangular with a constant profile with
aerodynamically balanced ailerons fitted to both upper and lower wings.

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 be developed 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 other types (Renault,
Lorraine) if a customer desired it. Approximately 60 F.60 Goliaths were built.
Between 1927 and 1929, eight Goliaths with various engines were built under
licence in Czechoslovakia, four by Avia and four by Letov.

Role
Airliner

National origin
France

Manufacturer
Farman Aviation Works

First flight
January 1919

Introduction
February 1919

Retired
c.1931

Number built
Approx. 60

Farman was quick to press the Goliath into service and made several publicity
flights. On 8 February 1919, the Goliath flew 12 passengers from
Toussus-le-Noble to RAF Kenley, near Croydon. Since non-military flying was not
permitted at that date, Lucien Bossoutrot and his passengers were all
ex-military pilots who wore uniforms and carried mission orders for the
circumstances. The flight went well, taking 2 hours and 30 minutes. The pilot
and passengers were well received in England. The return flight was made the
following day and took 2 hours and 10 minutes.

Other flights were made to publicize the Goliath. On 3 April 1919, 14 passengers
were flown to an altitude of 6,200 m (20,341 ft). Later, on 11 August 1919, an
F.60 flew eight passengers and a ton of supplies from Paris via Casablanca and
Mogador to Koufa, 180 km (110 mi) north of Saint-Louis, Senegal, flying more
than 4,500 km (2,800 mi).

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. The Belgian
airline Société Nationale pour l'Etude des Transports Aériens (SNETA) also
opened a Brussels-London route in April 1921.

Eighteen (18) different varieties produced including the F.140 Super Goliath.
Thirty one (31) accidents also reported.

Specifications (F.63 BN.4)

General characteristics
Crew: 4
Length: 14.77 m (48 ft 5 in)
Wingspan: 26.5 m (86 ft 11 in)
Height: 4.9 m (16 ft 1 in)
Wing area: 160 m2 (1,700 sq ft)
Empty weight: 2,900 kg (6,393 lb)
Gross weight: 5,400 kg (11,905 lb)
Powerplant: 2 × Gnome et Rhône 9A Jupiter 9-cylinder air-cooled radial piston
engines, 340 kW (450 hp) each
Propellers: 2-bladed fixed pitch propellers

Performance
Maximum speed: 170 km/h (106 mph; 92 kn) at sea level

168 km/h (104 mph; 91 kn) at 1,000 m (3,300 ft)165 km/h (103 mph; 89 kn) at
2,000 m (6,600 ft)160.5 km/h (99.7 mph; 86.7 kn) at 3,000 m (9,800 ft)Range: 800
km (497 mi; 432 nmi)
Service ceiling: 5,500 m (18,000 ft)
Time to altitude: 1,000 m (3,300 ft) in 4 minutes 59 seconds

2,000 m (6,600 ft) in 11 minutes 31 seconds3,000 m (9,800 ft) in 19 minutes 48
seconds4,000 m (13,000 ft) in 31 minutes 2 secondsWing loading: 34 kg/m2 (7.0
lb/sq ft)
Power/mass: 0.1157 kW/kg (0.0704 hp/lb)

Armament

Guns: 2x Lewis machine-guns at nose and rear gunners positions
Bombs: provision for light bombs internally and larger weapons including
torpedoes under the centre fuselage





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