Farman HF.20

what is it?

The Farman HF.20 and its derivatives were a family of reconnaissance aircraft produced in France shortly before and during the First World War. It was a refined version of the Farman MF.11 "Shorthorn" that did away with the type's distinctive landing skids, and incorporated design features from Henri Farman's designs. It entered service with the French, Belgian and Serbian armies in 1913 (two aircraft conducted reconnaissance during the Siege of Scutari in the First Balkan War and one crashed), and with the British RFC and RNAS shortly after the outbreak of war.

🔎How to recognise it: 1 piston engine with propeller · biplane · 13.7 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 165 km/htop speed
• range 315 kmwithout refuelling
• size 660 kgmax take-off weight

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🎂First flew 113 years ago, in 1913.
• 🚗Wingspan of 13.7 m: about 3 cars parked nose to tail.

piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.

spec sheet

first flight

1913

number built

—

role

reconnaissance aircraft

makers

Farman Aviation Works

engines

1× Gnome Lambda / Salmson air-cooled aircraft engine

crew

2

length

8.1 m

wingspan

13.7 m

height

3.2 m

max take-off weight

660 kg

top speed

165 km/h

range

315 km

ceiling

1,050 m

wings

biplane

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.