After his famous cross-Channle flight in his type XI airplane, Louis Bleriot also designed a passenger-carrying type of monoplane, the No. XII., which differed in structure from the No. XI. A type similar in form to the No. XII. is the small No. XIII., with which Bleriot attained high speed at Rheims in 1909. On June 12th, 1909, the first flight of an aeroplane carrying three passengers was accomplished by M. Bleriot on his large No. XII. The machine became somewhat popular, and more than ten aeroplanes of this type were flown.
Top Speed: 48 m.p.h.
Engine: 60 horse-power 8-cylinder E. N. V.
Wingspan: 30.2 feet
Weight: 1,150 pounds
Specifications from “Monoplanes and Biplanes,” by Grover Loening, 1911
The Frame
The long central frame of wood braced in every panel by cross wires is very deep at the front and tapers gracefully to a point at the rear.
The Main Wing
On the upper deck of the central frame at the front is placed the main plane, which is continuous and perfectly horizontal. The plane is braced by wires from the frame and its structure is similar to that of the Bleriot No. XI. The spread is 30.2 feet, the depth is 7.6 feet, and the surface area is 228 square feet.
The Direction Rudder
A single surface placed at the rear extremity of the vertical keel is used as the direction rudder. Its area is 9 square feet and it is operated by a foot lever as in No. XI.
The Elevators
The elevation rudder consists of a single surface, placed at the extreme rear and 20 square feet in area. It is operated by the front and back motion of the cloche.
Roll Control
To preserve the lateral balance the main surface is warped inversely by the side-to-side motion of the cloche, exactly as in No. XI. A small surface under the seat also aids in lateral balancing.
Keel
A horizontal keel of 21 square feet area is placed on the framework at the rear, but somewhat in front of the elevation rudder.
Propulsion
A 60 horse-power 8-cylinder E. N. V. motor is placed in the frame under the main plane. This motor drives by a chain transmission a single 2-bladed Chauviere propeller, the axis of which is placed on the edge of the main plane. This propeller is 8.8 feet in diameter and 9 feet pitch, and turns at 600 r.p.m. The Seat or bench for three is placed in the frame under the main plane and back of the motor. The Landing Gear is similar to that on No. XI.
Weight, Speed, Loading and Aspect Ratio
The total weight is from 1,150 to 1,300 pounds. The speed is 48 miles per hour; 21 pounds are lifted per horse-power and 5.3 pounds per square foot of surface. The aspect ratio is 4 to 1.