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weight and performance calculations for the Voisin-Farman I

Voisin-Farman I

role : experimental/research/flying trials

importance : *****

first flight : 30 September 1907 operational : October 1907

country : France

design : Gabriel Voisin (1880-1973), Charles Voisin (1882-1912)

(1882-1912), Henry Farman (1874-1958)

production : 1 prototype, built a Billancourt, total production of the 1907 Voisin biplane was about 60 aircraft.

general information :

Henry Farman ordered a biplane from the Voisin brothers. He made 20 September 1907 the first flight with it. It was the third motorized Voisin biplane built. Farman had initiated some changes to the Voisin design, the vertical surfaces between the wings were discarded of, smaller horizontal tail surfaces and a monoplane canard wing at the front.

On 26 October 1907, the Voisin-Farman I aircraft made a flight of 771 meters in 52.6 sec ( = 14.65 m/s = 52.7 km/h) at Issy-les-Moulineaux flown by Henry Farman. This was both a speed record and at the same time a record for distance in a closed circuit.

On November 8th it made the first complete turn and on November 9 it won the Archdeacon Cup by flying 1030 meters in 1 min.14 sec. (=13.92 m/s = 50.1 km/h). This was the first time anyone other than the Wright brothers stayed in the air for more than 1 minute. Note that the Wright brothers in 1905 already stayed in the air for more then 39 minutes flying a distance of 38 [km] !!

The aircraft was propelled by a metal push propeller.

On 13 January 1908 it won the Deutsch-Archdeacon price of 50.000 Francs when it set a official distance record of 1.5 km in a closed circuit in 1 minute 25 seconds.

Voisin-Farman I flying over the grounds at Issy-les-Moulineaux.. At 9 November 1907 it won the price issued by Ernest Archdeacon for the first official flight covering 150m, it exceeded the needed distance by far, flying 1030m in 74 seconds in a closed circuit.

users : Henry Farman

crew : 1

engine : 1 Antoinette 50hp liquid-cooled 8 -cylinder V-engine 50 [hp](37.3 KW)

dimensions :

wingspan : 10.2 [m], length : 10.5 [m], height : 3.35[m]

wing area : 40.8 [m^2]

weights :

max.take-off weight : 522 [kg]

empty weight operational (estimation): 410.0 [kg] useful load : 0 [kg]

performance :

maximum speed : 54 [km/u] op 25 [m]

cruise speed : 53 [km/u] op 25 [m]

service ceiling : 25 [m]

endurance : 0.81 [hours]

estimated action radius : 21 [km]

description :

2-bay biplane with fixed landing gear with tail wheel(s)

two spar upper and lower wing

tail supported by two open tail booms

engine, landing gear and useful-load in or attached to fuselage, fuel in gravity tank

airscrew :

fixed pitch 2 -bladed pusher airscrew with max. efficiency :0.60 [ ]

diameter airscrew 2.29 [m]

angle of attack prop : 8.64 [ ]

fine pitch

reduction : 1.00 [ ]

airscrew revs : 1100 [r.p.m.]

pitch at Max speed 0.82 [m]

blade-tip speed at Vmax and max revs. : 133 [m/s]

calculation : *1* (dimensions)

measured wing chord : 2.03 [m]

mean wing chord : 2.00 [m]

calculated wing chord (square tips): 2.06 [m]

Henry Farman performing a short flight in his Voisin-Farma… | Flickr

Record du monde de vol plane -1500m in 1 min 25 sec , 13 jan 1908

wing aspect ratio : 5.10 []

estimated gap : 1.91 [m]

gap/chord : 0.96 [ ]

seize (span*length*height) : 359 [m^3]

calculation : *2* (fuel consumption)

oil consumption : 0.9 [kg/hr]

fuel consumption(cruise speed) : 18.9 [kg/hr] (25.8 [litre/hr]) at 100 [%] power

distance flown for 1 kg fuel : 2.81 [km/kg] at 25 [m] cruise height, sfc : 508.8 [kg/kwh]

estimated total fuel capacity : 20.88 [litre] (15.30 [kg])

calculation : *3* (weight)

weight engine(s) dry : 95.0 [kg] = 2.55 [kg/KW]

weight 1.9 litre oil tank : 0.17 [kg]

oil tank filled with 0.3 litre oil : 0.3 [kg]

oil in engine 2.1 litre oil : 1.9 [kg]

fuel in engine 0.3 litre fuel : 0.19 [kg]

weight 20.9 litre gravity patrol tank(s) : 3.1 [kg]

Voisin-Farman I

weight radiator : 28.2 [kg]

weight exhaust pipes & fuel lines 1.7 [kg]

weight airscrew(s) (wood) incl. boss & bolts : 7.1 [kg]

total weight propulsion system : 137 [kg](26.3 [%])

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weight tail boom : 23 [kg]

fuselage skeleton (wood gauge : 5.11 [cm]): 70 [kg]

bracing : 5.5 [kg]

Voisin-Farman I | biplane | Britannica

fuselage covering ( 13.5 [m2] doped linen fabric) : 4.3 [kg]

weight instruments. : 1.1 [kg]

weight controls : 5.2 [kg]

weight seats : 3.0 [kg]

weight engine mount : 1.9 [kg]

total weight fuselage : 91 [kg](17.5 [%])

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weight wing covering (doped linen fabric) : 42 [kg]

total weight ribs (21 ribs) : 31 [kg]

load on front upper spar (clmax) per running metre : 445.1 [N]

load on rear upper spar (vmax) per running metre : 113.7 [N]

total weight 8 spars : 24 [kg]

weight wings : 97 [kg]

weight wing/square meter : 2.39 [kg]

weight 8 interplane struts & cabane : 23.3 [kg]

weight cables (70 [m]) : 2.7 [kg] (= 38 [gram] per metre)

diameter cable : 2.5 [mm]

area of canard wing : 2.0 [m2

weight canard wing :4.8 [kg]

weight fin & rudder (1.2 [m2]) : 3.1 [kg]

weight stabilizer & elevator (3.9 [m2]): 9.6 [kg]

total weight wing surfaces & bracing : 141 [kg] (27.0 [%])

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wheel pressure : 261.0 [kg]

weight 2 wheels (660 [mm] by 78 [mm]) : 14.0 [kg]

weight tailwheel(s) : 5.9 [kg]

weight undercarriage with axle 19.7 [kg]

total weight landing gear : 39.5 [kg] (7.6 [%]

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calculated empty weight : 409 [kg](78.3 [%])

weight oil for 1.0 hours flying : 0.9 [kg]

weight cooling fluids : 8.1 [kg]

calculated operational weight empty : 418 [kg] (80.1 [%])

estimated operational weight empty : 410 [kg] (78.5 [%])

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weight crew : 77 [kg]

weight fuel for 0.4 hours flying : 8 [kg]

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operational weight : 503 [kg](96.3 [%])

fuel reserve : 8 [kg] enough for 0.41 [hours] flying

possible additional useful load : 12 [kg]

operational weight fully loaded : 522 [kg] with fuel tank filled for 100 [%]

published maximum take-off weight : 522 [kg] (100.0 [%])

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calculation : * 4 * (engine power)

power loading (operational without bombload) : 13.48 [kg/kW]

total power : 37.3 [kW] at 1100 [r.p.m]

13 January 1908 Henry Farman won the Deutsch-Archdeacon prize of 50.000 Francs for the first flight in a circuit of more then 1 km.

.calculation : *5* (loads)

manoeuvre load : 0.7 [g] at 1000 [m]

limit load : 3.0 [g] ultimate load : 4.5 [g] load factor : 2.9 [g]

design flight time : 0.65 [hours]

design cycles : 67 sorties, design hours : 26 [hours]

operational wing loading : 121 [N/m^2]

wing stress (3 g) during operation : 152 [N/kg] at 3g emergency manoeuvre

calculation : *6* (angles of attack)

angle of attack zero lift : -1.34 ["]

max. angle of attack (stalling angle) : 13.37 ["]

angle of attack at max. speed : 10.37 ["]

calculation : *7* (lift & drag ratios

lift coefficient at angle of attack 0° :0.10 [ ]

lift coefficient at max. angle of attack : 1.10 [ ]

lift coefficient at max. speed : 0.88 [ ]

induced drag coefficient at max. speed : 0.0851 [ ]

drag coefficient at max. speed : 0.2628 [ ]

drag coefficient (zero lift) : 0.1776 [ ]

calculation : *8* (speeds

stalling speed at sea-level (OW): 48 [km/u]

landing speed at sea-level: 51 [km/hr]

min. drag speed (max endurance) = minimum speed*1.1 at cruise height : 53 [km/hr] at 25 [m] (power:97 [%])

min. power speed (max range) : 53 [km/hr] at 25 [m] (power:97 [%])

cruising speed : 53 [km/hr] op 25 [m] (power:96 [%])

design speed prop : 54 [km/hr]

maximum speed : 54 [km/hr] op 25 [m] (power:100 [%])

climbing speed at sea-level : 41 [m/min]

Voisin-Farman I | Pioneers Of Aviation

calculation : *9* (regarding various performances)

take-off speed : 51.6 [km/u]

static prop wash : 58 [km/u]

take-off distance at sea-level : 113 [m]

lift/drag ratio : 3.56 [ ]

max. theoretical ceiling : 823 [m] with flying weight :501 [kg] line 3370

climbing speed at 500m : 15.49 [m/min]

time to 500m : 22.66 [min]

published ceiling (25 [m]

practical ceiling (operational weight) : 723 [m] with flying weight :503 [kg] line 3385

practical ceiling fully loaded (mtow- 30 min.fuel) : 593 [m] with flying weight :513 [kg]

turning speed at CLmax : 51.0 [km/u] at 50 [m] height

turn radius at 50m: 42 [m]

time needed for 360* turn 18.4 [seconds] at 50m

load factor at max. angle turn 1.11 ["g"]

Voisin-Farman I

calculation *10* (action radius & endurance)

operational endurance : 0.81 [hours] with 1 crew and 11.7 [kg] useful load and 100.0 [%] fuel

published endurance : 0.81 [hours] with 1 crew and possible useful load : 11.7 [kg] and 100.0 [%] fuel

maximum action radius : 38 [km] with 1 crew and 0 [kg] useful load ( 36.9 [litre] additional fuel needed)

max range theoretically with additional fuel tanks for total 36.9 [litre] fuel : 75.8 [km]

useful load with action-radius 250km : 0 [kg]

production (500 km) : 0 [tonkm/hour]

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Literature :

Praktisch handboek vliegtuigen deel 1 page 44,45

Historische vliegtuigen page 25,27,169

Jane’s record breaking aircraft page 9

Wikipedia

Voisin 1907 biplane - Wikipedia

13 January 1908, Issy-les-Moulineaux, Henry Farman won the Deutsch-Archdeacon price by flying more than 1 km in a closed circuit.

DISCLAIMER Above calculations are based on published data, they must be

regarded as indication not as facts.

Calculated performance and weight may not correspond with actual weights

and performances and are assumptions for which no responsibility can be taken.

Calculations are as accurate as possible, they can be fine-tuned when more data

is available, you are welcome to give suggestions and additional information

so we can improve our program. For copyright on drawings/photographs/

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(c) B van der Zalm 19 July 2020 contact : info.aircraftinvestigation@gmail.com python 3.7.4