| F.140 Super Goliath | |
|---|---|
 | |
| F.140 Super Goliath circa 1925 | |
| Role | Heavy night bomber |
| Manufacturer | Farman |
| First flight | April 1924 |
| Retired | 1930 |
| Primary user | l'Armeé de l'Air |
| Number built | 9 |
The Farman F.140 Super Goliath was a very large, four engine biplane night bomber, designed in France in the mid-1920s. Nine flew with the French Air Force until concerns about structural weakness grounded them in 1930. The prototype set several world records for altitude reached with heavy useful loads. [1]
Two different Farman types have taken the name Super Goliath, the first being the sole Farman BN.4 of 1922. The F.140, first flown in April 1924, also had 4 engines, though these were more powerful, but was slightly smaller; small numbers served briefly with l'Armeé de l'Air. [2]
The F.140 was a large triple bay biplane with unstaggered, constant chord, square tipped wings. The interplane gap was large, with the upper plane held high above the fuselage by a set of four vertical centre section struts. The interplane struts were also simple parallel pairs. It had four 500 hp (373 kW) Farman 12We engines, water-cooled units with their cylinders, in three banks of four, arranged in W or broad arrow configuration. [1] These were mounted on the lower wings as tractor/pusher pairs, each pair in a single cylindrical housing with domed ends, in the inner bays. Each engine drove a four-blade propeller, each constructed from a pair of two-blade airscrews bolted to the drive shafts at right angles. Tall, narrow radiators were placed vertically above the engine housings. [2] [3]
The fuselage of the F.140 was flat sided, the nose rounded into an upright half-cylinder. It had a conventional undercarriage with pairs of mainwheels mounted on solid, broad, rectangular, vertical extensions below the engines. [2] [3]
The F.140 Super Goliath flew for the first time in April 1924. It was followed in 1930 by the F.141, a modernised version with a nose with a "balcony", a forward thrusting overhanging structure for a gun emplacement. This increased the length by 1.17 m (3 ft 10 in). [2]
The prototype F.140 and two more pre-production aircraft were accepted by the Armeé de l'Air. In early 1930 they were joined by six production type F.141s. Meanwhile, doubts were being raised at the Air Ministry about the safety of all Farman multi-motor aircraft, following a number of accidents. In September 1930, all such Farman types, including the Super Goliaths, were grounded. [2]
In mid-November 1925, piloted by Farman test pilot Louis Bossoutrot, the prototype F.140 had set several load related world aviation records. These were [4]
The altitude achieved with a 5,000 kg load remained the world record on 1 January 1931. [5]
France 6th squadron of the 22nd RABN, Chartres
Data from Les Avions Farman [2]
General characteristics
Performance
Armament
The Farman F.220 and its derivatives were thick-sectioned, high-winged, four engined monoplanes from Farman Aviation Works. Based on the push-pull configuration proven by the F.211, design started in August 1925 and the first flight of the prototype was on 26 May 1932. The definitive F.222 variant was the biggest bomber to serve in France between the world wars. One variant was designed as an airliner.
The Farman F 400 was a 1930s French three-seat cabin high-winged monoplane which was designed and built by Farman.
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 Farman F.120 and its derivatives were a family of multi-engine airliners and bombers of the 1920s built by the Farman Aviation Works in France.
The Farman F.170 Jabiru was a 1925 single-engine airliner evolved from the F.121 Jabiru, built by the Farman Aviation Works.
The Farman NC.470 was a French twin-engined floatplane designed as a crew trainer for the French Navy. It was used in small numbers for both its intended role as a trainer and as a coastal reconnaissance aircraft at the start of World War II.
The Farman F.160 A.2 was a 1920s French sesquiplane designed as a military reconnaissance and observation aircraft. Only one was built.
The Farman BN.4, a.k.a. Super Goliath, was a very large 1920s French biplane designed by Farman as a long-range night bomber.
The Farman F.211 was a French four-seat day or night bomber designed and built by the Farman Aviation Works for the French Air Force.
The Farman F.270 was a prototype French bomber/torpedo-bomber designed and built by the Farman Aviation Works for the French Air Force.
The Farman F.420 was a twin engine monoplane, built in France in the mid-1930s to compete in a government contest for an aircraft capable of fulfilling bomber, fighter and reconnaissance roles. Two prototypes were constructed but no production followed.
The Farman F.280 was a three engine, cantilever wing monoplane designed in France as a mail carrier in the early 1930s. Underpowered and slow, only two were built and briefly used.
The Farman F.30A C2 was a two-seat biplane designed as a fighter in France in 1916 and powered by a single, water-cooled radial engine. It showed poor flight characteristics and only one was built, though it was modified twice. It should not be confused with the similarly named Henry Farman HF.30 of 1915, a completely different aircraft which was used in large numbers by the Imperial Russian Air Service.
The Farman F.250 was a small, four passenger single engine low cantilever wing airliner built in France in 1931. The single example built was bought by an airline but was little used, owing to stability issues.
The SNCAC NC.4-10 was a twin-engine floatplane torpedo bomber built in France in the late 1930s. It was one of several prototypes competing for an Admiralty specification but no contracts were awarded after the military lost interest in the type.
The Farman FF 65 Sport was a French built light biplane, with a single engine and tandem seats, intended for sport and touring. First flown in 1919, it achieved modest sales at home and abroad in the early 1920s. Two unusual modifications produced a biplane glider and a low aspect ratio parasol wing machine.
The Farman F.90 was a single engine biplane transport, carrying 6 passengers. It was built and developed in France in the early 1920s. Though it had some competition successes, it was not put into production
The Caudron C.43 was the first French five-engined aircraft, a biplane intended for passenger transport or military use and multi-engined for safety. A development of the three-engined Caudron C.39, it had one tractor configuration engine in the nose and two push-pull pairs between the wings. It was capable of carrying eight passengers but was not developed.
The Caudron C.23 was a French long range twin engine night bomber, flown in the last year of World War I. Post-war some machines were modified to carry passengers.
The Farman HF.14 was a French two seat reconnaissance type produced by Farman Aviation Works before World War I.
 | Wikimedia Commons has media related to Farman F.140 Super Goliath . |