On that very day in 1907, when Henri Farman set the European record for flight distance and duration, another French pilot and aircraft designer, Louis Blériot, made the first and last flight in his Bleriot VII airplane. Compared to the wire-braced “flying shelves” of the time, this apparatus looked very futuristic. Airplanes of a similar design – aerodynamic “sharp-nosed” monoplanes with inline engines completely hidden under the cowling – became widespread only a decade and a half later.
Pioneering Control System
Furthermore, Blériot first applied a control system that came into use even later – in the 1930s – on tailless and flying wing aircraft. The “seven’s” rear horizontal surfaces could deflect synchronously (acting as elevators), or asynchronously and even in opposite directions, performing the role of ailerons. Such control surfaces were later called elevons.
The Fateful First Flight
The aircraft, under the control of its creator, took off quite easily and flew about 600 meters, after which Blériot went in for a landing, apparently deciding that this was enough for a first flight. Unfortunately, barely touching the ground, the airplane’s wheels got stuck in deep mud and it nosed over. The pilot managed to duck in the cockpit so that his spine would not be broken during the aircraft’s overturning. As a result, he escaped with minor injuries, but the plane was completely wrecked, and it made no sense to rebuild it.
Evolution of Blériot’s Designs
Subsequently, Blériot abandoned elevons, equipping his next airplane with pivoting wingtips that acted as ailerons, and then switching to a roll control system by wing warping, like on the Wright brothers’ aircraft. He also, for some reason, decided to partially abandon the fairing, and his subsequent airplanes, including the one on which he first crossed the English Channel, had only a “bare” wooden frame for the rear part of the fuselage.
Technical Specifications
| Modification | Bleriot VII |
| Wingspan, m | 11.00 |
| Length, m | 9. 00 |
| Height, m | 2.75 |
| Wing area, m2 | 25. 00 |
| Normal takeoff weight | 425 |
| Engine type | 1 Piston engine Antoinette |
| Power, hp | 1 x 50 |
| Maximum speed, km/h | 80 |
| Crew | 1 |
Image and diagram gallery of the Bleriot VII
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