Farman F.400

F.400
F.402 of the Spanish Republican Air Force. Museo del Aire, Cuatro Vientos, Madrid
Role Three-seat Cabin monoplane
Manufacturer Farman
First flight 1934
Closeup of the Salmsom 9-cylinder, 120 hp (89 kW), radial engine and the wooden propeller

The Farman F 400 was a 1930s French three-seat cabin high-winged monoplane which was designed and built by Farman.

Design and development

The Farman series "400" was a revolution for its builder because it had a thin, cantilever-constructed, high wing, with round edges, which could be dismounted for better storage and transportation.

The aeroplane had mixed construction. The fuselage was made of steel tubes, while the wings had a wood frame. The fuselage and the wings are both covered with plywood.

This version, the Farman F 402, had a Lorraine 5 Pb 5-cylinder radial engine of 110 hp (82 kW), but the plane in the picture had it changed for a 9-cylinder radial engine Salmson of 120 hp (89 kW).

The F 402 has an unusual feature, which is that the control stick hangs from the ceiling of the cockpit, and the rudder control is a vertical steering wheel.

The fuel tanks, which are placed inside the wings, have a capacity of 200 liters.

The landing gear structure is constructed of iron bars, which allows this plane to land "hardly" in short space.

This aircraft served, among other countries, in Spain, during the 1936-1939 civil war, on both sides.

Variants

F.400
Three-seat cabin monoplane.
F.402
Powered by a 120hp (89-kW) Lorraine 5Pb radial piston engine.
F.403
Powered by a 150hp (112-kW) Farman 7Ed engine.
F.404
Similar to the F.403, powered by a 140hp (89kW) Renault 4Pei engine.
F.405
Powered by a 110hp (82kW) Lorraine 5Pb radial piston engine.
F.406
Powered by a 125hp (93kW) de Havilland Gipsy Major piston engine.

Operators

 France
 Spain

Survivors

One aircraft of the Spanish Republican Air Force survives and is on display at the Spanish Museo del Aire (Madrid). This plane was used in Zaragoza during the Spanish Civil War as a transport, communication and ambulance aircraft.

Specifications (F 402)

Farman F.400 3-view drawing from L'Aerophile February 1933

Data from[citation needed]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 1
  • Capacity: 2 pax
  • Length: 8.25 m (27 ft 1 in)
  • Wingspan: 11.72 m (38 ft 5 in)
  • Height: 2.07 m (6 ft 9 in)
  • Wing area: 21.5 m2 (231 sq ft)
  • Empty weight: 681 kg (1,501 lb)
  • Gross weight: 1,150 kg (2,535 lb)
  • Powerplant: 1 × Lorraine 5Pb 5-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine, 82–89 kW (110–120 hp)
  • Propellers: 2-bladed fixed-pitch propeller

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 194 km/h (121 mph, 105 kn)
  • Cruise speed: 170 km/h (110 mph, 92 kn)
  • Range: 1,000 km (620 mi, 540 nmi)
  • Service ceiling: 4,000 m (13,000 ft)
  • Wing loading: 53.5 kg/m2 (11.0 lb/sq ft)
  • Power/mass: 0.078 kW/kg (0.047 hp/lb)

See also

Citations

Bibliography

  • Liron, Jean (1984). Les avions Farman. Collection Docavia. Vol. 21. Paris: Éditions Larivière. OCLC 37146471.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Farman F.400.