Voisin

Voisin was a French aircraft manufacturing company, one of the first in the world. It was established in 1906 by Gabriel Voisin and his brother Charles, and was continued by Gabriel after Charles died in an automobile accident in 1912; the full official company name then became Société Anonyme des Aéroplanes G. Voisin (English: Aeroplanes Voisin public limited company). It created Europe's first manned, heavier-than-air powered aircraft capable of a sustained (1 km), circular, controlled flight, including take-off and landing, the Voisin-Farman I. On 28 December 1909, French aviator M. Albert Kimmerling made the first manned, heavier-than-air powered flight in South Africa or even Africa in a Voisin 1907 biplane.

During World War I, it was a major producer of military aircraft, notably the Voisin III. After the war Gabriel Voisin abandoned the aviation industry, and set up a company to design and produce luxury automobiles, called Avions Voisin.

Background

Gabriel Voisin had been employed by Ernest Archdeacon to work on the construction of gliders and then entered into partnership with Louis Blériot, to form the company Ateliers d' Aviation Edouard Surcouf, Blériot et Voisin in 1905. Gabriel Voisin bought out Blériot and on 5 November 1906 established the Appareils d'Aviation Les Frères Voisin with his brother Charles (English: Flying Machines of Voisin Brothers). The company, based in the Parisian suburb of Billancourt, was the first commercial aircraft factory in the world.

Voisin (disambiguation)

Voisin (French for "neighbour") may refer to:

Companies

People

Voisin V

The Voisin V was a French pusher-type bomber aircraft of World War I.

Development history

The Voisin III had proved a successful bomber, but its payload was limited by the Salmson M9 engine, which produced only 120-hp. With an already identified need to develop a heavier and more powerful aircraft to deliver a larger bomb-load, an interim measure was taken to produce a Voisin Type III with a 150-hp Salmson P9 engine.

At the same time, the airframe was strengthened and the central nacelle streamlined. The new engine was placed on a raised platform to provide clearance for the propeller and was angled to provide downward thrust. In addition, the landing gear was strengthened and the wing chord was increased from the roots to the wing tips.

The new aircraft was given the STAé designation Voisin Type V, while the factory designation was Voisin LAS. The S stood for surélevé (raised) which indicated the raised engine mount. The previous Type III variant had an exhaust system which permitted fumes to escape freely; the Type V incorporated a more effective system of twin exhaust pipes.