The Aviation Historian — January 2018

118 THE AVIATION HISTORIAN Issue No 22

The Right Flyer: Gabriel Voisin, Henry

Farman and the Archetype of Aeroplanes

By Reg Winstone; Faustroll, Coopersfield, Horney
Common, East Sussex TN22 3ED (www.faustroll.co.uk);
9½in x 9¼in (241mm x 235mm); hardback; 354 pages;
illustrated; £39.95 + p&p. ISBN 978-0-956981-10-3

ESSENTIALLY, THIS WEIGHTY tome is
an intricate and detailed account of the
development of the Voisin-Farman No 1,
which under Henry Farman’s painstaking
care underwent many modifications during its
18-month evolution from a typical clumsy Voisin
product into a reasonably successful aeroplane
from August 1907 to early 1909.
The cheap gibe at the Wright brothers in the
book’s title warns the reader to expect some sort
of claim regarding precedent. It is this: that the
Voisin-Farman No 1 was, in the author’s words,
“the world’s first truly usable aeroplane”, and
that it was the “first machine officially observed”
to meet the necessary criteria as defined by
the author. Having set his own rules to fit his
argument, with the benefit of hindsight he
dismisses the practicality of the Wrights’ Flyer
III of 1905 because a launch rail and catapult
were used, disregarding the fact that for its time
it was an eminently practical and completely
controllable aeroplane, and that the Wrights’
launch system was absolutely sensible, avoiding
the need to level the dreadfully rough and
gopher-holed Huffman Prairie from which they
flew. (It was still like that in 2005.) They could
easily have fitted wheels, but initially chose not
to do so, although later Wright pilots did.
Likewise, he fails to mention that, while the
European pioneers progressed by gradually
destabilising their cumbersome machines to
gain controllability, the Wrights progressively
incorporated stabilising features to make their
machines easier to master. Moreover, their
flights are also discounted because they were
not “officially observed”, despite the fact that

there were independent witnesses. There is also

a tendency to cite the opinions and assertions

of various persons when their comments

suit his case, but to fail to acknowledge their

miscomprehensions or mendacity, Lanchester

and Voisin himself being typical examples.

Apart from these contentious matters, this is a

meticulously researched and well-written history

of a famous pioneer pilot and his aeroplane,

with chapters covering the developments that

led up to it, subsequent events, and the impact

of aeroplanes on the society of the time. One

detects a degree of Francophilia, however, in

the author ’s efforts to prove the “supremacy

of European cultural values and technical

leadership”, and his deriding of the Wrights’

wish to protect their patents and profit from their

accomplishments, when the Europeans became

just as mercenary when it suited them.

The illustrative aspect of the book is

outstanding; an exceptional collection of

images has been gathered and all but a few

are informatively captioned. Reproduction is

to a high standard, and despite its contentious

aspects this is a desirable volume for any student

of pioneer aviation.

PHILIP JARRETT

Umberto Nobile and the Arctic Search for

the Airship Italia

By Garth Cameron; Fonthill Media, Stroud House, Russell

Street, Stroud, Glos GL5 3AN (www.fonthillmedia.com);

6 ½in x 9½in (160mm x 242mm); hardback; 224 pages,

illustrated; £25. ISBN 978-1-781556-29-0

THE CRASH OF the airship Italia and the

survivors’ six-week ordeal are an enduring

aviation epic. The 18,500m³ semi-rigid

airship struck the Arctic ice pack on May 25,

1928, during the third of five planned polar

exploration flights. The impact tore the car

ARMCHAIR

AVIATION

ARMCHAIR

We take a look at what’s available for the aviation history enthusiast in the world of
books and other literature, from hot-off-the-press publications to reissued classics