Richard Farman (1872–1940) was a British-French aeronautical

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

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 eldest of the Farman brothers who were pioneers of early aviation. He was better known as Dick Farman using the then popular

sobriquet A sobriquet ( ) is a descriptive nickname, sometimes assumed, but often given by another. A sobriquet is distinct from a pseudonym in that it is typically a familiar name used in place of a real name without the need for explanation; it may beco ...

in place of the formal Richard. Like his brothers he was also active among pioneer racing cyclists and motocyclists.

Biography

Born in

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

to British parents, he was the eldest sonIt seems that also there was an elder sister who died very young. of a well to do newspaper correspondent working there. With his brothers he was educated at home and they were allowed unusual freedom to follow personal interests. With his brother Henry, who was also trained as an engineer, he set up Paris's largest automobile agency, the Palais de l'Automobile, dealing in Delaunay-Bellevilles, Panhard-Levassors, and

Renault Renault S.A., commonly referred to as Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English), is a French Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company curr ...

s. Together they wrote ''The Aviator's Companion'', published in 1910, describing their early flying achievements. He became an electrical engineer, and built the first electric trams in

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

, in

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. He was an author of many technical works on engines, also an aviator in 1914 to 1918, and was a director of an aircraft factory in

Lyon Lyon (Franco-Provençal: ''Liyon'') is a city in France. It is located at the confluence of the rivers Rhône and Saône, to the northwest of the French Alps, southeast of Paris, north of Marseille, southwest of Geneva, Switzerland, north ...

. After

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, he founded Avions H.M.D. Farman,''H.M.D.'' seems to stands for the initials of the three brothers; Henri, Maurice, and Dick. also known as

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 ...

, with his two younger brothers Henri and Maurice, in

Boulogne-Billancourt Boulogne-Billancourt (; often colloquially called simply Boulogne, until 1924 Boulogne-sur-Seine, ) is a wealthy and prestigious Communes of France, commune in the western suburbs of Paris, France, located from the Kilometre zero, centre of Paris ...

. Dick concentrated on the business side of manufacture at Société Anonyme des Usines Farman and their airline,Lignes Aériennes Farman (from 1922 S.G.T.A. Société Générale de Transport Aérien commonly called Lignes Farman) which claimed to have flown the first international airline service Paris-Brussels on 22 March 1919 which became part of Air France in 1933. He is rarely mentioned in most Farman stories in later days. In spite of his scientific knowledge and techniques, he dealt with administrative and commercial services. At the age of 65 Dick retired, after the French

nationalization Nationalization (nationalisation in British English) is the process of transforming privately owned assets into public assets by bringing them under the public ownership of a national government or state. Nationalization contrasts with p ...

of its aircraft industry in 1937 ended their independence, the brothers refusing to remain as employees. Dick Farman died in Paris 31 January 1940.''The New International Year Book 1940, A compendium of the world's progress'', Dodd Mead, New York, 1941

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Farman, Richard French people of British descent French aerospace engineers French aviators 1872 births 1940 deaths