Like a celebrity product endorsement of today, Louis Blériot’s historic flight over the English channel made the Blériot XI the high-tech object of desire for European elite. Overnight it became the ultimate sporting aircraft of the day, and its image was elevated to the status of an icon of cutting-edge style. Like today’s sports stars and their gear, the Blériot XI was featured in advertisements and posters for numerous products.

The Blériot XI, designed by Raymond Saulnier, was a distinctive design for its day, being a monoplane (single wing) as opposed to the more common biplane (two wings). With the reduced drag of only one wing, it had potential for greater speed, more manoeuvrability, and lower weight than most of its contemporaries. The basic design was modified and improved many times over the years it was in production, and it was either copied or licensed for production in many European countries and in North and South America.

In 1910, the Blériot XI was selected for service by the French and Italian military making it the first aircraft designated for war use. A year later it was the first aircraft actually used in war when it was flown by the Italian air force during the Italo-Turkish war of 1911. At the start of World War I, the French air force contained eight squadrons of Blériots and the Royal Flying Corps flew several in France with the expeditionary force. A total of 132 Blériot XI were built in five versions.

Blériot XI Specifications: