Engineering:Ferber IX

III
Role	Experimental aircraft
Manufacturer	Antoinette
Designer	Ferdinand Ferber
First flight	1908
Number built	1

The Antoinette III, originally called the Ferber IX or Aeroplane Ferber n° 9, was an early experimental aircraft flown in France. It was based on Ferdinand Ferber's previous design the Ferber n°8, and was quite unlike other Antoinette aircraft. It was renamed when Ferber became a director of the Antoinette company.

The Antoinette III was a two-bay biplane without a fuselage or any other enclosure for the pilot. A single elevator was carried on outriggers ahead of the aircraft, and a fixed fin and horizontal stabiliser behind. The undercarriage was of bicycle configuration and included small outriggers near the wingtips. Power was provided by an Antoinette 8V water cooled V-8 engine driving a tractor propeller.

Between July and September 1908, Ferber made a series of progressively longer flights in the machine, the longest recorded being on 15 September when he covered 9.65 km (6.00 mi) in 9 minutes.

Specifications

General characteristics

• Length: 9.5 m (31 ft 2 in)
• Wingspan: 10.5 m (34 ft 5 in)
• Powerplant: 1 × Antoinette 8V , 50 kW (67 hp)

Performance

See also

• Antoinette IV
• Antoinette V
• Antoinette VI
• Antoinette VII
• Antoinette military monoplane

References

• Opdycke Leonard E. French Aeroplanes Before the Great War Atglen, PA: 1999 ISBN:0-7643-0752-5
• Taylor M.J.H. Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions, 1989 p. 63
• World Aircraft Information Files. Brightstar Publishing: London. File 889 Sheet 63.
• The Pioneers:An Anthology