F-APMA Farman F.224
(c/n 01)
There can be little doubt
that the Farman organization was responsible for turning out some of the
world's ugliest
aircraft. The tradition begun with the ghastly looking Jabiru and
earlier Goliath was
continued into the 1930s, although on a
grander scale. The F.224 was a development of the F.2200
and was powered by four 815 h.p. Gnome-Rhone 14K twin-row radials
mounted in tandem at the
end of stubby wings protruding from the lower fuselage.
Although six were ordered for Air France's
Paris-London service they were never
delivered to the airline, and were diverted to the French Air
Force instead. The reason given
(by Air France) was that they were already outdated by the time
they were
delivered. Notwithstanding that, the prototype,
above, is seen in the airline's blue and
silver livery.