This machine, better known as the “type militaire,” resembled in detail the other Bleriot products, but differed greatly in size, in the fact that it was a two-seater, and in the construction of the fan-shaped tail. Like all the later Bleriot products, the dashboard in front of the seats was equipped with many instruments, such as recording barographs, speed counters, inclinators, folding map cases, speedometers, gages, and even thermos bottles, an item that indicated the rapid trend of progress in aviation more forcibly than anything else.
Many of the famous flights in 1910 by Moisant (Paris to London), Moranc, Drexel, and others, were made on this type.
Top Speed: 42 m.p.h.
Engine: 53 horse-power Gnome rotary 7-cylinder
Wingspan: 36 feet
Weight: 850 pounds
Specifications from “Monoplanes and Biplanes,” by Grover Loening, 1911
The Frame
The frame is exactly similar in character to the Bleriot XI. bis frame, excepting that it is shorter in length and built more heavily.
The Main Wing
The plane is of the regulation Bleriot type, fairly well arched (about 5 inches). The dihedral angle is very slight indeed. The halves are braced from the central fuselage and frame, in a slightly different manner than on the XI. bis. The plane has a spread of 36 feet, a chord of 71/2 feet, and an area of 260 square feet.
The Elevators
The elevation rudder consists of two semicircular flaps, trailing on the end of the dovetail-shaped keel. It is operated by the cloche exactly as in the XI. bis.
The Direction Rudder
The small oval-shaped vertical surface at the rear is the direction rudder. It is controlled as in other Bleriot types.
Roll Control
The transverse equilibrium is, as usual in this make, controlled by warping the places about their base.
Tail
The curiously shaped tail 0n this machine gives it a remarkable bird-like appearance. It does not exert any considerable lift. The shape of the frame and tail on the No. XIV., flown by M. Bleriot at Pau early in 1911, is quite different from the ordinary type. The frame itself narrows down, and gradually tapers into the form of the tail. The elevation rudder in this type is made of a single surface, and the direction rudder is in two halves, over and under the tail.
Propulsion
A seven-cylinder Gnome motor drives a 7 1/2 foot diameter Regy propeller. The seats for two are placed side by side in the frame between the two halves of the plane. In the very latest No. XIV. the seats are placed farther forward, and the frame in front built more in the form of a wind shield.
Landing Gear
The landing gear is on the usual Bleriot wheel chassis at the front and a smaller wheel at the rear. The newest No. XIV. has a skid at the rear.
Weight, Speed, Loading and Aspect Ratio
The total weight in flight is from 850 to 1,050 pounds. The speed is approximately 42 miles an hour; 21 pounds are lifted per horse-power, and 4.1 pounds carried per square foot of surface. The aspect ratio is 4.7 to 1.