FARMAN III

History

An aircraft designed by Henry Farman and first flying in 1909, the Farman III entered service with the Greeks in 1912 after placing an order for four of them. Delivered over the following months, the Farman IIIs would in fact be the first military aircraft operated by the Greeks. 

The four aircraft were christened  "Δαίδαλος" (Daedalus),  “Αετός" (Eagle),  “Γυψ" (Vulture), and " Ιέραξ" (Falcon) - the aircraft first taking to the skies at the hands of Dimitrios Kamberos (who was the first Greek military aviator in history) on May 13th 1912. Temporarily, in June 1912 the 'Daedalus' was modified to a hydroplane configuration, in which Kamberos would break the world speed record - achieving 110 kph.

At the outbreak of the First Balkan War in October 1912, two of the aircraft were used for reconnaissance flights over Thessaloniki and Macedonia.  Later, at the 'School of Kamberos' flight academy in Thessaloniki, the Farman IIIs were used as trainers from 1913-1915 - the aircraft taking its last flight in early 1917. 

Design

The Farman was a pusher biplane of the pioneer era of aviation, and thus was designed more as a exercise in technological progression rather than a military craft. The single Gnome 7 Omega rotary engine was mounted behind the pilot, in a pusher configuration, with a single forward elevator.

The airframe was constructed mostly of wood, with members joined using aluminium sockets. The wings and tails, ribbed with ash, were covered in a thin fabric layer. A box style boom layout of wooden struts connected the rudder and rear wing to the central section.