Farman F.50

__NOTOC__ Infobox Aircraft
name= Farman F.50


caption=Farman F.50, Mexican Air Force, 1920s.
type=Biplane bomber
manufacturer=Farman
designer=
first flight=1918
introduced=1918
retired=1920s
status=
primary user=French Air Force
more users=
produced=
number built=>100
variants with their own articles=The Farman F.50 was a French twin-engined tactical night bomber designed and built by Farman as a replacement for the single-engined Voisin pusher biplanes in service with the French Air Force.

Development

The twin-engined F.50 flew for the first time in early 1918 it was an unequal-span biplane with a slab-sided fuselage and a single fin and rudder. It had a fixed tailskid landing gear with twin wheels on the main gear, an open cockpit for the pilot and gunner/observer, and a gunner position in the nose. It was equipped with a 7.7 mm machine gun forward and aft.

The two Lorraine 8Bd engines were mounted between the wings using vee bracing struts. With the end of the war production was less than 100 aircraft but the company designed a passenger conversion for civil use. The converted aircraft were designated the F.50P with the fuselage behind the cockpit raised and enclosed to create a glazed cabin for up to five passengers. One example was used by Compagnie des Grands Express Aeriens from July 1920 from Paris to London and Amsterdam.

Operational history

With the military designation Bn.2 (2-seat night bomber) the aircraft were delivered to squadrons within 1e Groupe de Bombardment. Three escadrilles (F114, F119, ?) had been equipped by the time of the Armistice in November 1918. With the end of the war the aircraft did not have time to influence the campaign and the aircraft continued to serve until at least 1922.

Two aircraft were sold to the United States after the war. [ [http:www.navwar.co.uk/nav/default.asp?detail=1452 Navwar website] ]

Variants

;F.50:Twin-engine night bomber.;F.50P:Five-passenger conversion.

Operators

;FRA
*Air Union (F.50P)
*Compagnie des Grands Express Aériens (F.50P)
*French Air Force;JPN
*Japanese Army one F.50;MEX
*Thirteen F.50 bought in September 1920.

pecifications (F.50)

aerospecs
ref=The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985), 1985, Orbis Publishing, Page 1736/7
met or eng?= met

crew=3
capacity=
length m=10.92
length ft=35
length in=10
span m=22.85
span ft=74
span in=11½
swept m=
swept ft=
swept in=
rot number=
rot dia m=
rot dia ft=
rot dia in=
dia m=
dia ft=
dia in=
width m=
width ft=
width in=
height m=3.30
height ft=10
height in=10
wing area sqm=101.60
wing area sqft=1093.6
swept area sqm=
swept area sqft=
rot area sqm=
rot area sqft=
volume m3=
volume ft3=
aspect ratio=
empty weight kg=1815
empty weight lb=4001
gross weight kg=2120
gross weight lb=6878
lift kg=
lift lb=

eng1 number=2
eng1 type=Lorraine 8Db 8-cylinder Vee piston engine
eng1 kw= 205
eng1 hp= 275
eng1 kn=
eng1 lbf=
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eng1 lbf-ab=
eng2 number=
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max speed kmh=150
max speed mph=93
max speed mach=
cruise speed kmh=
cruise speed mph=
range km=420
range miles=261
endurance h=
endurance min=
ceiling m=4750
ceiling ft=15,580
glide ratio=
climb rate ms=
climb rate ftmin=
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armament1=2 x 0.303in (7.7mm) machine-guns in nose
armament2=8 x 400kg (882lb) bombs on underfuselage/wing racks
armament3=
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References

* The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985), 1985, Orbis Publishing, Page 1736/7