Bleriot XI (Anzani 25 HP)
It is the Blériot XI with 25 HP Anzani engine that was used by Louis Blériot to make the first flight across the English Channel in a heavier-than-air aircraft, on 25 July 1909. It is hopelessly underpowered.
There were other variants with more powerful engines because it was quite popular plane of its era. There were 50 HP and even 100 HP engine versions. It requires a long runway due to underpowered engine that is only 25 HP (the lowest I made so far).
(Realistic in scale, weight, fuel and power)
HISTORY
The Blériot XI gained lasting fame on 25 July 1909, when Blériot crossed the English Channel from Calais to Dover, winning a £1,000 (equivalent to £115,000 in 2018) prize awarded by the Daily Mail. For several days, high winds had grounded Blériot and his rivals: Hubert Latham, who flew an Antoinette monoplane, and Count de Lambert, who brought two Wright biplanes. On 25 July, when the wind had dropped in the morning and the skies had cleared, Blériot took off at sunrise. Flying without the aid of a compass, he deviated to the east of his intended course, but, nonetheless, spotted the English coast to his left. Battling turbulent wind conditions, Blériot made a heavy "pancake" landing, nearly collapsing the undercarriage and shattering one blade of the propeller, but he was unhurt. The flight had taken 36.5 minutes and had made Blériot a celebrity, instantly resulting in many orders for copies of his aircraft. – Wikipedia
Other notes and features:
- 3 cylinder modular engine runs at 3 RPS and has no need for cooling (credits to Uran_Wind for the idea)
- Pneumatic pistons are used as suspension and worked well
- Pulling the propeller (engine starter) beyond 3 RPS is considered cheating. 🙂
- Always takeoff against wind if there is wind
Below are the specifications of the vehicle I made for Stormworks. To see real specifications of this vehicle, look for Wikipedia or other sources.
– Engine Thrust Test and Power Estimation: https://steamcommunity.com/sharedfiles/filedetails/?id=2732688766
