Blast from the past: 'Bleriot XI' pre (World War I) reconnaissance aero-plane
Bleriot XI, was no less than a present day stealth, inspecting the battlefields way back during the Italo-Turkish War (1911-12) and in the First and Second Balkan Wars (1912-13). On 25 July 1909 Louis Bleriot, a determined and courageous Frenchman, became the first person to cross the English Channel in this aero-plane and in so doing won a place in history. The Bleriot XI on display is broadly representative of the type and differs principally from the Channel aircraft in having a more powerful six-cylinder Anzani engine.
Military Use
The first Bleriot XIs entered military service in Italy and France in 1910 and a year later some of those were used in action by the former country in North Africa. Royal Flying Corps received its first Bleriots in 1912. During the early stages ofWorld War 1, eight French, six British and six Italian squadrons operated various military versions of the aircraft, mainly in observation duties but also as trainers, and in case of single-seaters, as light bombers with a bomb load of up to 25 kg.
Specifications
Wing Span: 8.9 m (28 ft 6 in)
Length: 7.8 m (25 ft 2 1/2 in)
Height: 2.5 m (8 ft 4 in)
Weight, Empty: 240 kg (529 lb)
Weight, Gross: Unknown
Cruising Speed: 90 km/h (56 mph)
Max Speed: 100 km/h (62 mph)
Rate of Climb: Unknown
Service Ceiling: Unknown
Range: 300 km (186 mi)
Crew: One
Power Plant: One Elbridge Aero Special 60 hp, 4-cylinder, water-cooled engine
It has some ground-breaking technologies such as castering landing gear, allowing for crosswind landings. It used Wing warping (instead of ailerons) to control the plane's roll.
It could seat one pilot and was 25 feet long and fly at speeds upto 62 mph.
Via: Wired
