Sommer 1910 Biplane
Roger Sommer · France · first flew 1910 · light aircraft
The Sommer 1910 Biplane was an early French aircraft designed by Roger Sommer. It was a pusher biplane resembling the successful Farman III.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, fuselage-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 12.5 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Pusher biplane with equal-span wings, resembling the Farman III
- Elevator mounted in front of the wings and a second horizontal surface on wire-braced booms behind
- Twin skids extended forward to support the elevator, with a single pair of wheels on an axle
Look for a Farman-style pusher biplane with a forward elevator, a 50 hp Gnome Omega rotary engine behind the wings and a boom-mounted tail.
Specifications
- The Sommer 1910 Biplane has a length of 12.5 m (41 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 10.36 m (34 ft).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
Sommer had flown a Farman III and broken Wilbur Wright's endurance record in 1909 before building his own design at Mouzon. The prototype first flew on 4 January 1910.
Variants
Early examples had a single large rudder, later changed to four smaller rudders and then to one above and one below. A two-seat Military version with an extended upper wing was produced, and Humber built copies in England.
Where you'll see it
It was built in large numbers for the time, with sixty on order by spring 1910, and was used at Sommer's flying schools. Charles Rolls owned one, and a Humber-Sommer flew the first official mail flight at Allahabad.
Related aircraft
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