Engineering:Farman Blanchard
| Blanchard | |
|---|---|
 Farman Blanchard at the Paris Aero Show 1921 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Torpedo bomber |
| National origin | France |
| Manufacturer | Farman |
| Designer | Maurice Blanchard |
| Number built | 1 |
| History | |
| First flight | 1923 |
The Farman Blanchard was a prototype naval torpedo bomber built in France in the early 1920s but not selected for production.[1][2] It is designated the Farman F.450 Torp in at least one source[2] (not to be confused with the unrelated Farman F.450 Moustique[3]). It was designed by Maurice Blanchard, after whom it was named.[1][2][3]
Design
The Blanchard was a two-bay, unstaggered, equal-span biplane of conventional configuration.[1][4] The pilot and observer sat in tandem, open cockpits.[1][4] Power was supplied by a piston engine in the nose, driving a tractor propeller.[1][4] It had fixed, tailskid undercarriage,[1][4] and a conventional tail.[4] It carried its torpedo semi-recessed into the underside of the fuselage.[1][4] Construction was of wood throughout.[1][4]
It was intended to operate from land or from aircraft carriers.[1][2]
Development
The Blanchard was exhibited at the 1921 Paris Aero Show where a Flight reporter commented on its large wings making it less suitable for shipboard use than the British torpedo bombers of the time.[4] The Blanchard first flew in 1923,[2] but was passed over for production in favour of the Levasseur PL.2.[1][2][3] No further examples were built.[1][2]
Specifications
Data from The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft 1983, p.1735
General characteristics
- Crew: 2
- Length: 12.00 m (39 ft 4 in)
- Wingspan: 18.00 m (59 ft 1 in)
- Height: 4.60 m (15 ft 1 in)
- Wing area: 100.00 m2 (1,076.4 sq ft)
- Max takeoff weight: 2,950 kg (6,504 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Renault liquid-cooled, twelve-cylinder V engine, 340 kW (450 hp)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 145 km/h (90 mph, 78 kn)
- Service ceiling: 6,000 m (20,000 ft)
Armament
2× 7.7-millimetre (0.30 in) machine guns
1× torpedo
Notes
References
Bibliography
- The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft. London: Aerospace Publishing.
- Liron, Jean (1984). Les Avions Farman. Paris: Éditions Larivière.
- "The Paris Aero Show 1921". Flight 13 (48): 796–800. 1 December 1921.
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