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Farman Goliath |
| F.60 Goliath | |
|---|---|
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| Role | Airliner |
| Manufacturer | Farman Aviation Works |
| First flight | January 1919 |
| Introduction | February 1919 |
| Number built | approx. 60 |
The Farman F.60 Goliath was an airliner 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.
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The Goliath was initially designed in 1918 as a heavy bomber capable of carrying 1000 kg of bombs with a range of 1500 km. It was a conventional fixed-undercarriage biplane of wooden construction with canvas covering, powered by two Salmson Z.9 engines. It had a simple and robust, yet light structure. The wings were rectangular with a constant profile. Hollow wooden main wing spars were used for the first time.
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 appear 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 others types (Renault, Lorraine) if a customer desired it. Approximately sixty F.60 Goliath were built.
Farman was quick to press the Goliath into service and made several publicity flights. On February 8, 1919, the Goliath flew 12 passengers from Toussus-le-Noble to Kenley, near Croydon. As British authorities were refusing to give a commercial airliner permission to overfly British territory, Lucien Bossoutrot and his passengers were all ex-military pilots who wore uniforms and mission orders for the circumstance. The flight went well and lasted 2 hours and 30 minutes. The pilot and passengers were well received in England, the return flight being made on February 9 and lasting 2 hours and 10 minutes.
Other flights were made to publicize the Goliath. On April 3, 1919, 14 passengers were flown to an altitude of 6200 m (20,341 ft). Later, on August 11, 1919, An F.60 flew 8 passengers and a ton of supplies on a raid from Paris to Casablanca and Dakar, flying more than 4500 km.
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. Belgian airline SNETA also opened a Brussels-London route in April 1921.
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Belgium
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Italy
Japan
Poland
Soviet UnionData from Histoire Mondiale des Avions de Ligne, by Alain Pelletier1
General characteristics
Performance
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