Ferber IX

III
Role	Experimental aircraft
Manufacturer	Antoinette
Designer	Ferdinand Ferber
First flight	1908
Number built	1

The Antoinette III, originally called the Ferber IX, was an early experimental aircraft flown in France. It was based on Ferdinand Ferber's previous design the Ferber VIII, and was quite unlike other Antoinette aircraft. It was renamed when Ferber became a director of the Antoinette company.

The Antoinette III was a two-bay biplane without a fuselage or any other enclosure for the pilot. A single elevator was carried on outriggers ahead of the aircraft, and a fixed fin and horizontal stabiliser behind. The undercarriage was of bicycle configuration and included small outriggers near the wingtips. Power was provided by an Antoinette 8V water cooled V-8 engine driving a tractor propeller.

Between July and September 1908, Ferber made a series of progressively longer flights in the machine, the longest recorded being on 15 September when he covered 9.65 km (6.00 mi) in 9 minutes.

Specifications

General characteristics

• Length: 9.5 m ( ft in)
• Wingspan: 10.5 m ( ft in) each

Performance

See also

• Antoinette IV
• Antoinette V
• Antoinette VI
• Antoinette VII
• Antoinette military monoplane

References

• Opdycke Leonard E. French Aeroplanes Before the Great War Atglen, PA: 1999 ISBN 0-7643-0752-5
• Taylor M.J.H. Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions, 1989 p. 63
• World Aircraft Information Files. Brightstar Publishing: London. File 889 Sheet 63.
• The Pioneers:An Anthology