FARMAN, HENRI (1875— ), French airman, the son of an English journalist, born in Paris, May 26, was first a bi cycle racer, a painter, later a racing motorist. With his brother Maurice he made a successful biplane; in 1908 he made the first aerial voyage from Bouy to Reims, won the grand prix d'aviation and in 1909 the Michelin cup. He founded the Farman works at Boulogne-sur-Seine, making many aeroplanes, including the Goliath, which made a voyage to Dakar in 1919. In 1920 he flew to Constantinople, establishing a world record for flight duration and the world height record. He obtained a prize for establishing a record by remaining in the air for 34 hours.
So successful were the efforts of the brothers Farman to produce a practical flying machine that a special type of aeroplane soon became known as the Farman machine. The first trials of the Farman aeroplane were conducted at Issy-les-Moulineaux, during the period November 1907—January 1908. Henri Farman was the first aviator to fly loo miles (1909). As early as 1908 he estab lished a school of aviation and construction works at Buc, near Versailles.
His brother, Maurice, established works for aeroplane construc tion at a later date, but in 1912 the two brothers united their resources in merging their mutual interests. They supplied machines not only to the French military authorities but to other countries and the Farman aeroplane was well tried and approved during the World War. Other aeroplanes have improved con siderably on some of the earlier Farman models, but to the Farman brothers belongs the credit of the early biplane successes.