Henri Farman facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Henri Farman
Born	(1874-05-26)26 May 1874 Paris
Died	17 July 1958(1958-07-17) (aged 84) Paris
Other names	Henry Farman
Relatives	Maurice Farman, Richard Farman

Henri Farman (born May 26, 1874 – died July 17, 1958) was a famous pilot, aircraft designer, and manufacturer. He was Anglo-French, meaning he had both British and French roots. Henri worked with his brother Maurice Farman to build airplanes. Before he became interested in flying, he was well-known as a sportsman. He was especially good at cycling and car racing. Henri became a French citizen in 1937.

Family and Early Life

Henri Farman was born in Paris, France. His full name at birth was Harry Edgar Mudford Farman. His father, Thomas Frederick Farman, was a reporter for a London newspaper called the London Standard. His father was born in England in 1845. Henri's mother, Sophia Ann Louisa Mudford, was born in England in 1841. She was the daughter of an author named William Mudford. Henri's parents got married in London in 1868.

Henri first studied to be a painter at an art school called the École des Beaux-Arts. However, he soon became very interested in the new machines being invented. These inventions appeared at the end of the 1800s. He was able to explore this interest as a sports enthusiast.

Cycling Achievements

Henri Farman started racing bicycles when he was only 14 years old. He quickly began to win many races. His brother Maurice also started cycling at the same age and won prizes too. Henri became a champion cyclist. He won the Paris - Clermont-Ferrand race on June 6, 1892. On October 6, 1892, he won the French Championship in Paris. This race was 100 kilometers long.

On June 25, 1893, Henri rode his bicycle from Paris to Madrid. He went with a journalist and cyclist named Edouard de Perrodil. Edouard wrote a book about their journey. The book included drawings made by Farman. When they reached Madrid, they were welcomed by the French Ambassador.

Henri then teamed up with his brother Maurice Farman for tandem bicycle races. They became a very successful team. On January 31, 1895, the Farman brothers set a new record. They covered 44.906 kilometers in one hour on a tandem bicycle. They announced they were stopping cycling in November 1896.

Motor Racing Career

Around the same time as his brother Maurice, Henri discovered motor racing. On February 17, 1901, he won a car race called the Grand Prix du Palais d'Hiver. He won in the light car class. Maurice Farman won the heavy car class in the same race. On May 29, 1901, Henri raced from Paris to Bordeaux and finished seventh.

He also took fifth place in the 1901 Paris to Berlin Race. Henri won the heavy class section of the 1902 Paris - Vienna race. He then took third place in the 1903 Gordon Bennett Cup, a famous car race.

Henri had an accident during a race on June 16, 1905. It happened during trials for the Gordon Bennett Cup. His car skidded while going down a hill. Henri and his driver were thrown from the car. They landed safely on top of a tree! Many people watching thought he had been killed. But Henri was fine. He climbed down from the tree and even smoked a cigarette.

Pioneering Aviation

Farman making the first cross-country flight accomplished with an aeroplane

Henri Farman began practicing with a homemade glider in 1907. He used it on the sandhills of Le Touquet. Before that, he experimented with model airplanes of different sizes.

Henri then decided he wanted a plane with an engine. He ordered a Voisin 1907 biplane on June 1, 1907. He used this aircraft to set many official records for distance and how long he could stay in the air.

On October 26, 1907, in France, he made several flights. These included flights of 363, 403, and 771 meters. He also started to turn the plane in the air on this day. The 771-meter flight took 52 seconds. It was the longest flight in the world that year. This flight won Farman the Ernest Archdeacon Cup. On November 10, 1907, he made a full circular flight of 1,030 meters. This took 1 minute and 14 seconds. It was the first time a European airplane had flown a full circle. It was also the first time an airplane, other than one built by the Wright brothers, stayed in the air for more than a minute.

The Voisin-Farman I was also the first biplane in Europe to fly a circular path of 1 kilometer. This happened on January 13, 1908, and won Henri a 50,000 franc prize. On March 21, 1908, he flew 2.004 kilometers.

On October 30, 1908, Farman made the first cross-country flight in Europe. Henri flew from his hangars to Reims. The distance was 27 kilometers.

MF.11 "Shorthorn"

The passenger transport Goliath

Farman III at the Dominguez Field, Los Angeles 1910

By early 1909, Farman had a disagreement with Gabriel Voisin. Voisin had sold an aircraft built to Farman's designs to another person. So, Henri started building aircraft based on his own designs. The first of these was the Farman III, which first flew in April 1909. It was very successful and many other planes copied its design.

In 1909, he opened a flying school. George Bertram Cockburn was his first student. In the same year, Henri made more record-breaking flights. One flight was 180 kilometers long and took just over 3 hours. Another was 232 kilometers long and took 4 hours, 17 minutes, and 53 seconds. In October 1909, he attended the Blackpool Aviation Week in Britain. This was Britain's first air show, and he won over £2000 in prizes.

Henri worked with his two brothers, Maurice and Richard. Together, they built a very successful and creative aircraft manufacturing company. Their 1914 model airplane was used a lot during World War I. It helped with observing artillery and scouting. The Farman Aircraft company's Goliath was the first long-distance passenger airliner. It started regular flights between Paris and London on February 8, 1919.

Henri was honored by France in 1919. He became a chevalier of the French Légion d'honneur. He and Maurice retired in 1937. This was when the French government took over the aircraft industry. Farman's company became part of a larger national company.

Henri Farman officially became a French citizen in 1937. He passed away in Paris on July 17, 1958. He is buried in the Cimetière de Passy in Paris. In 1988, Farman was added to the International Air & Space Hall of Fame. This is a special recognition at the San Diego Air & Space Museum.

See also

In Spanish: Henri Farman para niños