Blériot 115

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Blériot 115
Blériot Bl-115 prototype F-ESBB right front - Ans 05338-02-094-AL-FL (tight crop, white balance, grayscale).jpg
Blériot 115 prototype
Role Airliner
Manufacturer Blériot
First flight 9 May 1923
Number built 6

The Blériot Bl-115 was a French biplane airliner of the 1920s, best remembered for the part it played in the French exploration of Africa. For its day, it was a large aircraft, mounting one pair of engines on the upper wing and one pair on the lower. First flying on 9 May 1923, the prototype crashed on 23 June, killing its pilot, Jean Casale.

A refined version of the aircraft, the 115-bis was flown in June 1924.

Operational; history[]

The third and fourth machines built (christened Roland Garros and Jean Casale) were used in Colonel de Goÿs' attempts to create air routes to Africa. Commanded by , they departed France on 18 January 1925, they arrived in Colomb-Béchar, Algeria, on 28 January. The expedition ended in disaster on 7 February in Niamey, Niger when the Jean Casale crashed on take-off, killing its radio operator and seriously injuring its two pilots, including Dagnaux. They had covered 4,137 km (2,571 mi).

Variants[]

Blériot Bl-115
Four-engined airliner, powered by 4x 180 hp (130 kW) Hispano-Suiza 8Ac engines..[1]
Blériot Bl-115bis
Improved version of the Blériot Bl-115, powered by 4x 180 hp (130 kW) Hispano-Suiza 8Ab engines.[2]
Bleriot Bl-103
Projected bomber version. Not built.

Specifications (Bl-115)[]

Data from Jane's all the World's Aircraft 1924,[3] Aviafrance:Bl-115[1]

General characteristics

  • Crew: 3
  • Capacity: 8 pax
  • Length: 14.45 m (47 ft 5 in)
  • Wingspan: 25 m (82 ft 0 in)
  • Height: 4.96 m (16 ft 3 in)
  • Wing area: 126 m2 (1,360 sq ft)
  • Empty weight: 2,950 kg (6,504 lb)
  • Gross weight: 4,900 kg (10,803 lb)
  • Fuel capacity: 800 kg (1,800 lb) fuel and oil
  • Powerplant: 4 × Hispano-Suiza 8Ac V-8 water-cooled piston engine, 130 kW (180 hp) each
  • Propellers: 2-bladed fixed-pitch propeller

Performance

  • Maximum speed: 180 km/h (110 mph, 97 kn) at sea level
  • Range: 600 km (370 mi, 320 nmi)
  • Service ceiling: 6,000 m (20,000 ft)
  • Wing loading: 39 kg/m2 (8.0 lb/sq ft)
  • Power/mass: 0.1088 kW/kg (0.0662 hp/lb)

References[]

  1. ^ Jump up to: a b Parmentier, Bruno (12 January 1997). "Blériot Bl-115". viafrance (in French). Paris. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
  2. ^ Parmentier, Bruno (12 January 1997). "Blériot Bl-115bis". Aviafrance (in French). Paris. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
  3. ^ Grey, C.G., ed. (1924). Jane's all the World's Aircraft 1924. London: Sampson Low, Marston & company, ltd. p. 85b.

Further reading[]

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