Unusual 1920s Flyer

Unusual 1920s Flyer

Here’s an aircraft you don’t see every day: a 1/5-scale F-121 Farman Jabiru! Built by the French Farman Aviation Works company in the 1920s, the full size was powered by four 180hp Hispano-Suiza V8 engines mounted in tandem push-pull pairs on stub wings. Michael Wenzel’s electric-powered, RC version has a 12.5-foot wingspan with a 3-foot chord. The model is made of wood with fabric covering and dope finish. Equipped with four 6S 5800mAh LiPos, it weighs 33 pounds. Thanks to RC Scale Airplanes for posting this great video of the Jabiru in flight.

Updated: January 28, 2022 — 3:55 PM

5 Comments

  1. Truly unique – a bit of history in miniature. Congratulations on a job well done!

    1. That’s the beauty with electrics. Multi-engine aircraft are much easier to set up for operation. Such a strange aircraft. Kept the passengers nice and cozy while the pilot & co-pilot were at the mercy of the elements.

  2. Really a great scale model build- congratulations!!!

    As for the full-size version, since 1920-era French aircraft engineers had access to reasonably advanced aerodynamic theory and simple wind tunnels, why did they waste so much time and money installing in-line prop systems, which are notorious for really low efficiency, excess noise and vibration, and just a dumb way to power an aircraft?

  3. My Jabiru was totally different. Made from Glass with 2200 engine and kitted in Bundaberg Australia I did 800 hours in it. Flew from one side of Australia to the other. Grand times.

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