Thursday, May 28, 2009

Farman Plane Readied for Flight

This picture was taken in 1908, and shows a Farman airplane being readied for flight. I find it interesting that all the bystanders are well dressed, and are wearing hats.

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11 comments:

  1. I'm just wondering about the top altitude of aircraft of this kind, could not have been very high, oxygen issues and the likes of, does someone with aeronautical knowledge know?

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  2. Strange tail section.
    Doesn't look very aerodynamic
    with such thin struts connecting
    it to the forward section.

    Can't help with the top altitude
    question, but in the first world
    war they seemed to get the hights
    they needed, without extra oxygen.

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  3. In skydiving we regularly went to 11k feet w/o oxygen though I believe FAA is something like 10.5. The guys flying Spitfires would go to 15 for short periods w/o their oxygen.

    It's bloody cold up there.

    The men standing around were not dressed up, they were just dressed. My grandfather wore a tie every single day of his working life and to any event outside the home until he was in his 70's in the 70's. (And then it was seersucker coveralls, but that is another story.)

    That was a very common tail configuration - at low speeds aero is not important but a big *pushing* surface was. That is also why the airfoil on the wings is so exaggerated.

    -AC

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  4. There's some good information on flight altitude records on wiki.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flight_altitude_record

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  5. I love the attire in these photos. Everyone looks like slobs these days.

    PJM:

    Do you think if I get Bill a hummer, i might be able to forgo the tattoo?

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  6. Anon

    Thanks for information on tail
    section. I know very little of
    aerodynamics. It just seemed so
    disproportional to front section.

    The man on the far left makes an interesting image. Very determined
    stride, hands behind his back,
    looking down...deep in thought?
    Could be the owner.

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  7. Is this foto taken in USA? Some exhibition of France? Ray uk is mentioning the man on the far left - he has got the French police uniform.

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  8. Sorry, I mean the man on the right.

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  9. is that a michelin tire sign,on that hangar to the right? also if it were in france,would that wine banner be in french? that man in uniform suggests france but?
    hmmm,,
    oldbear.

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  10. wiki says everything he did with flying was mostly done in france,so,guess i answered myself.
    oldbear.

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  11. I think that this and the first biplane-series picture have been taken when Henri Farman (on the middle, short pants) won the aviation prize by flying one kilometer circle. The English banner may be for British guests. Farman's father was British.

    Same in Finnish:
    Luulen, että tämä ja ensimmäinen kaksitaso-sarjan kuva on otettu, kun Henri Farman (keskellä, lyhyet housut) voitti ilmailupalkinnon lentämällä yhden kilometrin ympyrän. Englanninkielinen mainos voi olla brittiläisiä vieraita varten. Farmanin isä oli britti.

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