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The Maurice Farman MF.11 ''Shorthorn'' is a French aircraft developed before
On 6 September 1914 the first air-sea battle took place when a Japanese Farman MF.11 aircraft launched by the
Luftfahrtmuseum
Canadian Aviation Museum
{{Farman aircraft 1910s French military reconnaissance aircraft 1910s French bomber aircraft Single-engined pusher aircraft Biplanes Farman aircraft, MF.11 1910s French military trainer aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1913
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
by the Farman Aviation Works
Farman Aviation Works (french: Avions Farman) was a French aircraft company founded and run by the brothers Richard, Henri, and Maurice Farman. They designed and constructed aircraft and engines from 1908 until 1936; during the French nationa ...
. It was used as a reconnaissance and light bomber during the early part of World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, later being relegated to training duties.
The Maurice Farman Shorthorn was the aircraft in which Biggles
James Bigglesworth, nicknamed "Biggles", is a fictional pilot and adventurer, the title character and hero of the ''Biggles'' series of adventure books, written for young readers by W. E. Johns (1893–1968). Biggles made his first appearance ...
, Capt W.E. Johns' fictional character, first took to the air in "Biggles Learns To Fly".
Design and development
A pusher configuration unequal-span biplane like the earlierFarman MF.7
The Maurice Farman MF.7 ''Longhorn'' is a French biplane developed before World War I which was used for reconnaissance by both the French and British air services in the early stages of the war before being relegated to service as a trainer.
D ...
, the MF.11 differed in lacking the forward-mounted elevator
An elevator or lift is a cable-assisted, hydraulic cylinder-assisted, or roller-track assisted machine that vertically transports people or freight between floors, levels, or decks of a building, vessel, or other structure. They a ...
, the replacement of the biplane horizontal tail surfaces with a single surface with a pair of rudders mounted above it, and the mounting of the nacelle
A nacelle ( ) is a "streamlined body, sized according to what it contains", such as an engine, fuel, or equipment on an aircraft. When attached by a pylon entirely outside the airframe, it is sometimes called a pod, in which case it is attached ...
containing crew and engine in the gap between the two wings. The aircraft was also fitted with a machine gun for the observer, whose position was changed from the rear seat to the front in order to give a clear field of fire.
Its nickname in British service was derived from that of the MF.7 ''Longhorn'', as it lacked the characteristic front-mounted elevator and elongated skids of its predecessor.
Operational history
On 6 September 1914 the first air-sea battle took place when a Japanese Farman MF.11 aircraft launched by the seaplane carrier
A seaplane tender is a boat or ship that supports the operation of seaplanes. Some of these vessels, known as seaplane carriers, could not only carry seaplanes but also provided all the facilities needed for their operation; these ships are rega ...
unsuccessfully attacked SMS ''Kaiserin Elisabeth'' with bombs.
The MF.11 served in both the British and French air services on the Western Front in the early stages of the war. It flew the first bombing raid of the war when on 21 December 1914 an MF.11 of the Royal Naval Air Service attacked German artillery positions around Ostend
Ostend ( nl, Oostende, ; french: link=no, Ostende ; german: link=no, Ostende ; vls, Ostende) is a coastal city and municipality, located in the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It comprises the boroughs of Mariakerk ...
, Belgium.
The MF.11 was withdrawn from front-line service on the Western Front in 1915, but continued to be used by the French in Macedonia and the Middle East, while the British also used it in the Dardanelles
The Dardanelles (; tr, Çanakkale Boğazı, lit=Strait of Çanakkale, el, Δαρδανέλλια, translit=Dardanéllia), also known as the Strait of Gallipoli from the Gallipoli peninsula or from Classical Antiquity as the Hellespont (; ...
, and Africa. The Australian Flying Corps
The Australian Flying Corps (AFC) was the branch of the Australian Army responsible for operating aircraft during World War I, and the forerunner of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). The AFC was established in 1912, though it was not until ...
(AFC), provided with the MF.11 by the British Indian Army, operated it during the Mesopotamian campaign of 1915–16.
Italy's Società Italiana Aviazione, a Fiat company, licence-built a number of MF.11s under the designation SIA 5 from early 1915, fitted with a fixed forward machine gun and a 74.5 kW (100 hp) Fiat A.10 engine.Taylor, Michael J H. Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. pg 805. Portland House, 1989.
In 1916, the AFC also bought some MF.11s for training purposes.
Operators
; *Australian Flying Corps
The Australian Flying Corps (AFC) was the branch of the Australian Army responsible for operating aircraft during World War I, and the forerunner of the Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF). The AFC was established in 1912, though it was not until ...
**No. 5 Squadron RAAF, No. 5 (Training) Squadron AFC in United Kingdom
**Mesopotamian Half Flight
**Central Flying School AFC at Point Cook, Victoria
;
*Belgian Air Force
;
*French Air Force
;
*Corpo Aeronautico Militare
;
*Hellenic Air Force
;
*Hejaz Air Force - Two Farman MF.11s were obtained from Italy in 1921.
;
*Imperial Japanese Army Air Service
;
*Royal Norwegian Air Force
;
*Portuguese Air Force
;
*Romanian Air Corps
;
*Imperial Russian Air Force
;
*Royal Saudi Air Force
;
*Serbian Air Force
;
*Spanish Air Force
;
*Swiss Air Force
;
*Ukrainian Air Force - One aircraft only.
;
*Royal Flying Corps
**No. 2 Squadron RAF, No. 2 Squadron RFC
**No. 3 Squadron RAF, No. 3 Squadron RFC
**No. 4 Squadron RAF, No. 4 Squadron RFC
**No. 9 Squadron RAF, No. 9 Squadron RFC
**No. 14 Squadron RAF, No. 14 Squadron RFC
**No. 16 Squadron RAF, No. 16 Squadron RFC
**No. 19 Squadron RAF, No. 19 Squadron RFC
**No. 23 Squadron RAF, No. 23 Squadron RFC
**No. 24 Squadron RAF, No. 24 Squadron RFC
**No. 25 Squadron RAF, No. 25 Squadron RFC
**No. 29 Squadron RAF, No. 29 Squadron RFC
**No. 30 Squadron RAF, No. 30 Squadron RFC
**No. 65 Squadron RAF, No. 65 Squadron RFC
* Royal Naval Air Service
Survivors
* The Canada Aviation Museum has an MF.11 manufactured by Airco for the Royal Flying Corps and sent to Australia in 1916. * Farman F.11A-2, Royal Army and Military History Museum, Brussels, Belgium. * Farman MF.11 Shorthorn (#CFS-15), RAAF Museum at Point Cook, Victoria, Australia.Specifications (Farman MF.11)
See also
References
Bibliography
* *External links
Luftfahrtmuseum
Canadian Aviation Museum
{{Farman aircraft 1910s French military reconnaissance aircraft 1910s French bomber aircraft Single-engined pusher aircraft Biplanes Farman aircraft, MF.11 1910s French military trainer aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1913