Farman, Henri

Born May 26, 1874, in Paris; died there July 17, 1958. French aircraft designer and aviator.

In 1907 and 1908, Farman established several aviation records, including those for flight distance in a straight line (771 m) and for a circular flight (approximately 1 km). He also completed a flight from Bouy to Reims (27 km in 17 min). In 1909 he organized an aviation school near Paris; the school was attended by several Russian pilots, including M. N. Efimov.

Farman began building airplanes in 1909. One of his early models, the F-4 (1909), was used in several countries to train pilots. In 1912, together with his brother Maurice, Farman founded the firm that bore his name (the enterprise was nationalized in 1936). The firm manufactured approximately 30 models of civil and military airplanes and also produced aviation engines. Farman’s F-20, F-30, and F-40 reconnaissance airplanes and F-50 bomber were widely used in World War I, and his Goliath passenger airplane was used by the first European airlines in 1919.