Farman F.121 Jabiru

1923

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Farman F.121 Jabiru

The nine-passenger F.3X (as the F.121 was also known) with huge high-mounted wings, deep slab-sided fuselage and four 134kW Hispano-Suiza 8Ac engines in tandem pairs, won the 1923 French Grand Prix des Avions Transports and 500,000 francs. Four flew on the Farman airline's Paris-Brussels-Amsterdam route from 1926 and Danish Air Lines used a few between Amsterdam and Copenhagen. Four even uglier F.4X six-passenger aircraft followed, each with three uncowled 223.5kW Salmson Az.9 engines, two engines mounted (as before) above the landing gear on the lower stub wings and one in the upper fuselage nose. These served with Compagnie Internationale de Navigation Aerienne (formerly CFRNA) along with the more attractive Caudron 81 and Potez 32.

Interestingly military Jabirus also appeared as prototype heavy bombers and escort fighters with stepped noses, each carrying twin Lewis guns on a Scarff ring in a nose cockpit and light bombs in a fuselage bay. Heavier bombs or, a torpedo could be carried under the fuselage.

FACTS AND FIGURES

© At least three different radiator arrangements were tried in attempts to cure the Jabiru's chronic cooling problems.

© Passengers sat in wicker chairs angled towards the centre, and had a superb view from the continuous row of windows around the cabin.

© Perched atop the airframe in an open cockpit, the Jabiru's pilot had great difficulty taxiing accurately.

Farman F.121 Jabiru

Specification 
 CREW1-2
 PASSENGERS9
 ENGINE4 x HS 8AC, 132kW
 WEIGHTS
  Take-off weight5000 kg11023 lb
  Empty weight3000 kg6614 lb
 DIMENSIONS
  Wingspan19.0 m62 ft 4 in
  Length13.7 m45 ft 11 in
  Wing area80.0 m2861.11 sq ft
 PERFORMANCE
  Max. speed180 km/h112 mph
  Ceiling4000 m13100 ft
  Range w/max.fuel600 km373 miles

Comments
GrahamClayton, e-mail, 01.01.2023 06:52

The FX-4 removed two seats but still had the same performance as the FX-3.

reply

Regis, e-mail, 20.12.2022 11:53

Hello, if the pic shows effectively a F.121, the 3 views dwg shohs a F-4-X also called "Jabiru". Best regards

reply

rupert marks, e-mail, 28.10.2008 10:18

I am looking for a copy of a Farman non radial engine manual, please can any body help?

reply

Alan Methven, e-mail, 29.09.2008 13:50

Great site thanks but the 3-view drawing on the Farman F.121 Jabiru page is marked incorrectly as it is, I think an F.120 Jabiru.

reply

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