- Variants
- Operators
- Specifications (HF.20)
- References
- Further reading
| name=HF.20 | image=Henry Farman Biplane - Jul 1912.jpg | caption= }}{{Infobox Aircraft Type | type=Reconnaissance aircraft | manufacturer=Farman | designer=Henri Farman | 1913}} | introduced= | retired= | status= | primary user= | more users= | produced= | number built= | variants with their own articles=
}} |
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 Shkodër in the First Balkan War and one crashed), and with the British RFC and RNAS shortly after the outbreak of war. The type was also licence-built in the UK by Airco and Grahame-White. The HF.20 was seriously underpowered, and a variety of engines were trialled in the hope of correcting this, none with much success. The problem was eventually solved only when an engine of twice the power of the original powerplant was fitted to the HF.27 variant, by which time the aircraft was already obsolete. Nevertheless, the performance of the HF.20 made it adequate for use on secondary fronts. Variants- HF.20
- original version with Gnome Lambda engine
- HF.21
- {{cvt|15.5|m}} span and increased wing area version with Gnome Lambda engine. At least one of the few built, enterred service with the Fliegertruppe of Switzerland.
- HF.22
- {{cvt|15.58|m}} span and increased wing area version with Gnome Lambda engine.
- HF.22 floatplane
- (aka HF.22bis or Savoia-built HF.22-H)
- HF.23
- {{cvt|18.08|m}} span version with Gnome Lambda engine
- HF.24
- {{cvt|11.5|m}} span aerobatic version with Gnome Lambda engine
- HF.27
- {{cvt|155|hp}} Canton-Unné R9 engine or {{cvt|240|hp}} Renault engine with a revised undercarriage that included nose wheels similar to the Voisin III.
Operators- {{ARG}}
- {{BEL}}
- {{DEN}}
- {{FRA}}
Escadrille HF 1 Escadrille HF 7 Escadrille HF 13 Escadrille HF 19 Escadrille HF 28 Escadrille HF 32 - {{flag|Greece|old}}
- {{flag|Kingdom of Italy}}
- Corpo Aeronautico Militare
- {{JPN}}
- Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service
- {{flag|Netherlands}}
- Royal Netherlands Air Force
- {{ROM}}
- {{RUS}}
- Imperial Russian Air Service
- {{flag|Serbia}}
- {{USSR}}
- Soviet Air Force - Taken over from the Imperial Russian Air Force.
- {{SWE}}
- Swedish Air Force
- Swedish Navy
- {{flag|Switzerland}}
- {{UK}}
- Royal Flying Corps
- No. 2 Squadron RFC
- No. 5 Squadron RFC
- No. 6 Squadron RFC
- No. 10 Squadron RFC
- No. 24 Squadron RFC
- No. 26 Squadron RFC
- No. 30 Squadron RFC
- No. 31 Squadron RFC
- No. 32 Squadron RFC
- No. 64 Squadron RFC
- Royal Naval Air Service
- {{flagicon| South Africa|1910}}
- //South Africa">Union of South Africa
- South African Aviation Corps
Specifications (HF.20){{Aircraft specs
|ref=French aircraft of the First World War[1]
|prime units?=met
|crew=2 (pilot and observer)
|length m=8.06
|span m=13.65
|height m=3.15
|wing area sqm=35
|aspect ratio=
|airfoil=
|empty weight kg=360
|gross weight kg=660
|max takeoff weight kg=
|max takeoff weight lb=
|max takeoff weight note=
|fuel capacity=
|more general=
|eng1 number=1
|eng1 name=Gnome Lambda
|eng1 type=7-cylinder air-cooled rotary piston engine
|eng1 hp=80
|prop blade number=2
|prop name=fixed-pitch wooden pusher propeller
|prop dia m=
|prop dia ft=
|prop dia in=
|prop dia note=
|max speed kmh=165
|max speed mph=
|max speed kts=
|max speed note=
|cruise speed kmh=
|cruise speed mph=
|cruise speed kts=
|cruise speed note=
|stall speed kmh=
|stall speed mph=
|stall speed kts=
|stall speed note=
|never exceed speed kmh=
|never exceed speed mph=
|never exceed speed kts=
|never exceed speed note=
|range km=315
|combat range km=
|combat range miles=
|combat range nmi=
|combat range note=
|ferry range km=
|ferry range miles=
|ferry range nmi=
|ferry range note=
|endurance=3 hours
|ceiling m=1050
|g limits=
|roll rate=
|climb rate ms=
|climb rate ftmin=
|climb rate note=
|time to altitude={{cvt|2000|m}} in 22 minutes
|wing loading kg/m2=
|wing loading lb/sqft=
|wing loading note=
|fuel consumption kg/km=
|fuel consumption lb/mi=
|power/mass=
|more performance=
|guns= 1 × machine gun on flexible mount for observer
|bombs= small load of {{cvt|75|mm}} bombs
}}
References1. ^{{cite book |last1=Davilla |first1=Dr. James J. |last2=Soltan |first2=Arthur M. |title=French aircraft of the First World War |publisher=Flying Machines Press |isbn=1891268090 |pages=207-212}}
{{commons category|Farman HF.20}}Further reading- {{cite book |last= Taylor |first= Michael J. H. |title=Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation |year=1989 |publisher=Studio Editions |location=London |pages=380–381 }}
- {{cite book |title=World Aircraft Information Files |publisher=Bright Star Publishing|location=London |pages=File 894 Sheet 14–15 }}
{{Farman aircraft}} 7 : French military reconnaissance aircraft 1910–1919|Farman aircraft|Single-engined pusher aircraft|French military trainer aircraft 1910–1919|Sesquiplanes|Aircraft first flown in 1913|Rotary-engined aircraft |