The Blériot XLII was a First World War French reconnaissance plane designed and built by Blériot.

Design

The crew was housed in a partially armored cabin. A small window was installed in front of the fuselage to facilitate observation. For reconnaissance, the observer lay horizontally on the cabin floor.[1]

Development

The Bleriot XLII was built in March 1913 for use as a reconnaissance and observation aircraft. It was a double mid-flight, equipped with an 80 hp Gnome engine. The Bleriot XLII passed the test cycle, but the military was not interested.

Specifications

Data from Aviafrtance : Blériot XLII [2]

General characteristics

• Crew: 2
• Length: 7.30 m (23 ft 11 in)
• Wingspan: 8.50 m (27 ft 11 in)
• Wing area: 18.00 m² (193.8 sq ft)
• Powerplant: 1 × Gnome Monosoupape 7 Type A air-cooled rotary piston engine, 60 kW (80 hp)
• Propellers: 2-bladed fixed-pitch propellers

References