Flying Back in Time on the First Civilian Passenger Airplane

Ride along on a Microsoft Flight Simulator journey in a Farman F.60 Goliath on its historic 1919 route from Paris to London.

Patrick Chovanec

Friday, May 12, 2023 at 06:07 PM ET

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Farman F.60 Goliath [Courtesy: National Archives]

Key Takeaways:

The Farman F.60 Goliath, originally a WWI heavy bomber, was repurposed to become the world's first civilian passenger airplane, initiating commercial aviation with inaugural flights between Paris and London.
Early commercial flights with the Goliath were challenging due to basic navigation and open cockpits, leading to the first mid-air collision which spurred vital safety advancements such as right-of-way rules, radio communication, and improved pilot visibility.
The article recounts a simulated journey on the historic Paris-London route, detailing the Goliath's unique design, flight characteristics, and the pioneering, often precarious, nature of early air travel before its retirement in favor of newer, all-metal aircraft.

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Believe it or not, the inaugural flight of a bomber-turned-airliner first introduced the world to commercial aviation.

Today in Microsoft Flight Simulator, I’ll be flying the Farman F.60 Goliath, the world’s first civilian passenger airplane, on its historic route from Paris to London. And to tell this story, I’m using a mod that recreates the two airports, Le Bourget and Croydon, as they looked in the 1930s.