A Farman Goliath in the striking colours of Air Union in the early 1920s. When the first aircraft were converted from bombers they had rather crude interior fittings but the cabins were fairly roomy

The Farman Goliath series is of seminal importance in the history of air transport, but unlike other civil developments and conversions of wartime bombers, the Goliath family was produced in relatively large numbers. The origins of the type lay with the FF.60-BN.2 twin-engined, twin-seat night bomber.

Of typically blocky Farman appearance, the F.60 Goliath was apparently completed in the closing stages of 1918, and was notable for its distinctly humped rear fuselage, on later models [aired smoothly into the tail unit. Accommodation for 12 passengers was provided in two fairly roomy cabins separated by the open cockpit for the two crew. Some 1.3m (4ft 4in) wide, the rear passenger cabin held eight wicker seats, while the forward cabin was of the same width but held only four similar scats. The type’s origins as a bomber may be discerned in the fact that the prototype had spanwise diagonal bracing members in the cabin, but these were deleted from production aircraft. Another distinguishing feature of early F.60s was the use of two 230-hp Salmson/Canton-Unne 92 water-cooled radial piston engines, though these were later replaced by a pair of 260-hp Salmson gem radials. Yet another distinguishing feature of early F.60s was the provision of overhanging balanced ailerons on all four wings; later replacement by plain ailerons reduced span from 28 m (91 ft 10 in) to 26.5m (86ft 11 in).

The F.60 was extensively tested during 1919, and examples of the type established several world records. Perhaps the most notable of these were an altitude or 5100 m (16732 ft) in 75 min with 25 passengers, and a non-stop flight of 2050 km (1274miles) from Paris to Casablanca in 18 hours 23 min, with a crew of eight.

It was on March 29, 1920 that the Goliath entered service, the Compagnie des Grands Express Aeriens inaugurating an irregular service from Le Bourget outside Paris to Croydon outside London. This service was soon supplemented by another flown with Goliaths, this time of the Compagnie des Messageries Ahiennes. These two companies operated 12 and 15 (possibly 16) Goliaths respectively. Other notable operators were me Societe Generalc de Transports Aeriens (Lignes Farman) with 18, used mainly on the route inaugurated on July 1, 1920 between Paris and Brussels, extended on May 17, 1921 to Amsterdam and later to Berlin; and the Belgian line SNETA and Czech operator CSA each had six, the Czech aircraft being licence-built by Avia and Letov with the exception of a single Farman-built aircraft. Some 15 Goliaths from Compagnies des Grands Express Aeriens and des Messageries Ahiennes were with Air Union on formation in 1923.

As was the case with many aircraft of the period, the basically exterior mounting of the engines greatly facilitated the substitution of many other powerplants, this often leading to the adoption of another designation. Examples of this in the case of the Goliath are the F.60bis with 300-hp Salmson 9Az radials, the F.61 with 300-hp Renault 12Fe inlines, and the F.63bis with 380-hp Gnome-Rhone Jupiter 9A radials. Other engines known to have been fitted are Maybach Mb.IVb inlines, Lorraine-Dietrich inlines, Armstrong Siddeley Jaguar radials, and Walter-built Bristol Jupiter radials. Experimental and record-breaking models with four (two tandem) or three Salmson radials were built, and the final development of the type was powered by a pair of Gnome-Rhone-built Bristol Jupiter 9Akx radials. This was the F.169 or 1929. The last Goliath appears to have been withdrawn from airline service in 1933, and among the type’s many ‘firsts’ is that of being involved in the first mid-air collision between two airliners, when FGEAD or the Compagnie des Grands Express Aeriens collided with the Daimler Airway’s DH.18 G-EAWO over Poix on April 7, 1922.

F.63bis

Type: short-range transport

Maker: Societe Henri et Maurice Farman

Span: 26.5m (86ft 10in)

Length: 13.9m (45ft 7in)

Height: approx 5.6 m (18 ft 4 ½ in)

Wing area: 161 m2 (1733sqft)

Weight: maximum 5395 kg (11 8941b); empty 3030 kg (6680lb)

Powerplant: two 380-hp Gnome-Rhone Jupiter 9Aa 9-cylinder air-cooled radial engines

Performance: maximum speed 152 km/h (94 mph) at 2000m (6562ft); range 400 km (249 miles)

Payload: seats for up to 12 passengers

Crew: 2

Production: approx 60