F.120

The Farman F.120 was a French multi‑engine transport aircraft produced by Farman Aviation Works in the early 1920s. First flown in 1923, the F.120 was developed from the earlier F.70 family and was intended to meet the growing demand for reliable civil and military payload carriers after World War I. Its most distinctive characteristic was the sesquiplane layout, featuring a short, thick upper wing and a smaller lower wing, combined with three 260‑hp Renault 6Q inline engines mounted on the upper wing and in the fuselage nose. This configuration gave the aircraft a respectable 150 km/h cruising speed, a range of about 800 km, and the ability to transport up to twelve passengers or 1,200 kg of freight. The sturdy wooden frame and fabric covering made maintenance simple, while the fully enclosed cabin offered unprecedented passenger comfort for its era. The F.120 saw service with French airlines such as CIDNA and with colonial forces in North Africa, where its ruggedness proved valuable on rough airfields. Although only a few dozen were built, the aircraft demonstrated the practicality of multi‑engine designs and helped pave the way for larger transport types that dominated interwar civil aviation.