Maurice Alain Farman (21 March 1877 – 25 February 1964) was a British-French

Grand Prix motor racing Grand Prix motor racing, a form of motorsport competition, has its roots in organised automobile racing that began in France as early as 1894. It quickly evolved from simple road races from one town to the next, to endurance tests for car and ...

champion, an

aviator An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators because they a ...

, and an aircraft manufacturer and

design A design is the concept or proposal for an object, process, or system. The word ''design'' refers to something that is or has been intentionally created by a thinking agent, and is sometimes used to refer to the inherent nature of something ...

er.

Biography

Born in Paris to English parents, he and his brothers

Richard Richard is a male given name. It originates, via Old French, from compound of the words descending from Proto-Germanic language">Proto-Germanic ''*rīk-'' 'ruler, leader, king' and ''*hardu-'' 'strong, brave, hardy', and it therefore means 'st ...

and Henry Farman were important pioneers of aviation in Europe. A champion

tandem Tandem, or in tandem, is an arrangement in which two or more animals, machines, or people are lined up one behind another, all facing in the same direction. ''Tandem'' can also be used more generally to refer to any group of persons or objects w ...

cyclist with brother Henry, Maurice Farman began racing Panhard automobiles and won the 1901 Pau Grand Prix, the first race ever to be called a Grand Prix. In May 1902 he won the "Circuit du Nord" race from Paris to Arras and back. He also competed in that year's Paris to

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

race won by Marcel Renault. However, Farman's interest quickly turned to powered flight and in 1908 he bought a Voisin Model 4 biplane. In 1909 he set world's endurance and speed records. He soon began to manufacture

airplane An airplane (American English), or aeroplane (Commonwealth English), informally plane, is a fixed-wing aircraft that is propelled forward by thrust from a jet engine, Propeller (aircraft), propeller, or rocket engine. Airplanes come in a vari ...

s and in 1912 merged his business with his brother's aircraft company to give the

Farman Aviation Works Farman Aviation Works () was a French aircraft company founded and run by the brothers Richard Farman, Richard, Henri Farman, Henri, and Maurice Farman. They designed and constructed aircraft and engines from 1908 until 1936; during the French ...

. He was awarded Aviator's Certificate (Brevet) no. 6 by the Aero-Club de France, issued on November 18, 1909. Maurice Farman died in Paris in 1964.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Farman, Maurice French male cyclists French racing drivers Grand Prix drivers French aerospace engineers French people of English descent 1877 births 1964 deaths Racing drivers from Paris Burials at Père Lachaise Cemetery French aviation record holders Cyclists from Paris