Henri Farman was born on May 26, 1874, and died on July 17, 1958. He was a British-French aviator, aircraft designer, and manufacturer who worked with his brother, Maurice Farman. Before he focused on aviation, he became famous as a sportsman, especially in cycling and motor racing. In 1937, Henri officially became a citizen of France.

Family and early life

Henri Farman was born in Paris, France, and was baptized as Harry Edgar Mudford Farman. He was the son of Thomas Frederick Farman, who worked as a reporter for the London Standard in Paris. Thomas was born in 1845 in Layer Marney, Essex, England. Henri’s mother, Sophia Ann Louisa Mudford, was born in Canterbury, Kent, on September 9, 1841. She was baptized on July 16, 1844, at St Pancras Old Church in London. Sophia was the daughter of William Mudford, an author who lived in Harrington Square at the time of her baptism. Sophia and Thomas married on August 31, 1868, at St George’s Hanover Square Church in London.

Henri studied painting at the École des Beaux Arts. However, he soon became interested in the new mechanical inventions that appeared at the end of the 19th century. He pursued this interest as a hobby athlete.

Cycling

He participated in bicycle races beginning at the age of fourteen and began winning races. His brother, Maurice Farman, also started racing bicycles at the same age and began winning awards. Henri became a champion cyclist and won the Paris–Clermont-Ferrand race on June 6, 1892. On October 6, 1892, he won the French Championship at the Vélodrome Buffalo in Paris, covering a distance of 100 kilometers.

On June 25, 1893, Henri traveled by bicycle from Paris to Madrid with Edouard de Perrodil, a journalist, writer, and French cyclist. Edouard wrote about this journey, and a book titled Vélo ! Toro! Paris-Madrid bicyclette en 1893 was published by MM. C. Marpon and Flammarion. The book included drawings by Farman. They were received by the French Ambassador and others upon arriving in Madrid.

He later competed in tandem races with his brother Maurice Farman, forming a successful partnership. On January 31, 1895, at the Vélodrome d’Hiver, the Farman brothers set a new tandem bicycle record by traveling 44.906 kilometers in one hour. They announced their retirement from cycling in November 1896.

Motor racing

Henri discovered motor racing around the same time as his brother Maurice. On 17 February 1901, he won the light car class (400–650 kg) Grand Prix du Palais d'Hiver, which was part of the Circuit du Sud-Ouest. Maurice Farman won the heavy car class in the same race. On 29 May 1901, Henri participated in the Paris-Bordeaux race and finished in seventh place. This race was open to all competitors and took place at the same time and on the same course as the 1901 Gordon Bennett Cup. He finished fifth in the 1901 Paris to Berlin Race. In 1902, Henri won the heavy class section of the Paris-Vienna race. Marcel Renault won the overall classification of that race. In 1903, Henri finished third in the Gordon Bennett Cup.

During the elimination trials for the 1905 Gordon Bennett Cup on 16 June, Henri was involved in an accident on the hilly Auvergne circuit. While completing the final lap of the circuit, he was descending the Clermont Ferrand hill. His car slid during a turn on that descent, causing Henri and his chauffeur to be thrown from the vehicle and land on top of a tree. Many spectators believed he had been killed. However, Henri was unharmed and climbed down from the tree to smoke a cigarette. He thought his car had ended up at the bottom of a ravine after the accident, but he was unsure of its final location.

Aviation

In 1907, Farman began flying a homemade biplane glider on the sandhills of Le Touquet after experimenting with model airplanes of different sizes. He then decided to build a powered airplane and ordered a Voisin 1907 biplane on June 1, 1907. He used this airplane to set official records for both distance and time in the air.

On October 26, 1907, at Issy-les-Moulineaux, France, Farman flew distances of 363 meters, 403 meters, and 771 meters. The 771-meter flight took 52 seconds and was the longest flight in the world that year. This achievement earned him the Ernest Archdeacon Cup. On November 10, 1907, he completed a circular flight of 1,030 meters in 1 minute and 14 seconds. This was the first time a European airplane completed a full circle and the first time an airplane, other than one made by the Wright brothers, stayed in the air for more than a minute.

The Voisin-Farman I became the first biplane in Europe to fly a circular route of 1 kilometer over a set course on January 13, 1908, at Issy-les-Moulineaux. This flight earned Farman the 50,000 franc Grand Prix d'Aviation, offered by Henri Deutsch de la Meurthe. On March 21, 1908, he flew 2 kilometers at the same location. Later that day, Léon Delagrange helped Farman return to his hangar, making Farman the first fixed-wing airplane passenger. By late May 1908, Farman had also made the first flights in Europe with a passenger, carrying Ernest Archdeacon for 1,242 meters at Ghent.

On October 30, 1908, Farman completed the first cross-country flight in Europe. He flew from his hangars at Camp de Châlons, Bouy, to Reims, landing at a cavalry ground. The distance was 27 kilometers.

In early 1909, Farman had a disagreement with Gabriel Voisin after Voisin sold an airplane built to Farman’s specifications to J.T.C. Moore-Brabazon. This airplane was called the Bird of Passage by Brabazon. Farman then began designing and building his own airplanes. The first of these, the Farman III, flew in April 1909 and was immediately successful.

In 1909, Farman opened a flying school in Châlons-sur-Marne. George Bertram Cockburn was the first student. That same year, he set new flight records, including 180 kilometers in just over 3 hours at Reims on August 27 and 232 kilometers in 4 hours, 17 minutes, and 53 seconds at Mourmelon-le-Grand on November 3. In October 1909, he participated in Britain’s first air show, Blackpool Aviation Week, where he won over £2,000 in prizes.

Farman partnered with his brothers Maurice and Richard (Dick) to build a successful airplane manufacturing company. Their 1914 model was widely used for artillery observation and reconnaissance during World War I. The Farman Aircraft company’s Goliath was the first long-distance passenger airplane, starting regular flights between Paris and London (Croydon Airport) on February 8, 1919.

In 1919, Farman was awarded the title of chevalier in the French Légion d’honneur. He and Maurice retired in 1937 when the French Popular Front government nationalized the aircraft industry, and Farman’s company became part of the Société Nationale de Constructions Aéronautiques du Centre.

Farman became a French citizen in 1937. He died in Paris on July 17, 1958, and is buried in the Cimetière de Passy in Paris. In 1988, he was inducted into the International Air & Space Hall of Fame at the San Diego Air & Space Museum.