Now that I can access my toy/wargame room, I’ve begun to think about doing some work on my Belle Époque project. I wanted to add some early aircraft to the armed forces of the larger imagi-nations, and a quick search on eBay led me to purchase two Corgi diecast models of the Blériot Type XI monoplane in which he crossed the English Channel in 1909.
The Blériot Type XIs entered service with the Italian and French armed forces in 1910, and in 1911 some were used by Italy in North Africa during the Italo-Turkish War. This was the first use of heavier-than-air aircraft in a war. By 1912 the French and Spanish had used Blériot XIs to bomb Rif tribesmen in Morocco and the Royal Flying Corps had taken delivery of its first Blériot XIs.
By the start of World War I military versions of the Blériot XIs were in service with eight French, six British, and six Italian squadrons. They were mainly used for observation duties and as trainers, but some single-seaters served as light bombers that could carry a bomb load of up to 55lbs/25kg.
The Blériot XI’s characteristics were:
- Crew: 1
- Dimensions:
- Length: 7.62m (25ft)
- Wingspan: 7.79m (25ft 7in)
- Height: 2.69m (8ft 10in)
- Wing area: 14 sq m (150 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 230kg (507lbs)
- Propulsion: 1 × Anzani 3-cylinder air-cooled radial piston engine driving a 2-bladed Chauvière Intégrale propeller
- Performance:
- Maximum speed: 75.6km/h (47.0mph, 40.8 knots)
- Service ceiling: 1,000m (3,300ft)
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Hello Bob,
ReplyDeleteIf you need another one of these I can let you have mine - a boot sale purchase for 20p a few years ago!
All the best,
DC
David Crook,
DeleteThank you for your kind offer … which I will certainly take advantage of!
All the best,
Bob
Lovely little model and will prove very useful for your project and some good background information which I did not know, every day is indeed a school day!
ReplyDeleteDonnie McGibbon,
DeleteI’ve now taken them out of their boxes and they look even better than I expected.
The Bleriot aircraft were very versatile and over a hundred were built.
All the best,
Bob
A nice addition to your forces.
ReplyDeleteWith that speed and a ceiling well within the reach of macine guns I suspect that their military utility will be a little limited. A good opportunity for daring pilots to change the course of a campaign though, and it could be some time before the armies adjust to the idea of actually using AA and acquiring mounts that can provide enough elevation.
Mike Hall,
DeleteI envisaged these Bleriots being used mainly for reconnaissance - and possibly a little light bombing - in any Belle Epoque campaigns and tabletop battles. It might even give me the opportunity to model some anti-aircraft guns!
All the best,
Bob