French Aviation 1914
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 At the outbreak of war,the British Royal Flying Corps (RFC) brought twenty-three Bleriot XI's with them into France along with its expeditionary force; they served as reconnossaince aircraft with six RFC squadrons.The French Service de l'Aviation also furnished Bleriots to eight of their escadrilles, and Italy went into action with their own previously acquired Bleriot XI's in six squadrons. |
Bleriot XI Wingspan: 34 ft. 10 in. Length: 38 ft. Weight: 816 lbs. Engine: 1 Gnome 7-cylinder radial engine 50 hp Crew: 1 Armament: none |
 Designed by French aviator Henri Farman and based upon similar aircraft produced by the Voisin brothers of France the Farman Biplane received popular acceptance by early aviators. Farman Biplanes went on to be employed in the early stages of WWI by the French military. |
Farman Biplane Wingspan: 34 ft. 10 in. Length: 38 ft. Height: 10 ft. 9 in. Weight loaded: 816 lbs. Engine: 1 Gnome 7-cylinder radial engine 50 hp Crew: 1 Armament: none |
 The Maurice Farman S.11, more commonly known as the "Shorthorn," lacked the characteristic forward elevator of the Maurice Farman Longhorn. With the nacelle positioned half-way up the interplane struts, the pilot was seated well ahead of the wings and the aircraft was ideally suited to its initial role as a reconnaissance bomber. Adopted by most of the Allied air services, the Shorthorn was often equipped with dual controls and widely used as a trainer throughout much of the war. |
Maurice Farman S.11 Country: France Type: Reconnaissance/Bomber/Trainer Entered Service: 1914 Engine: Renault air cooled V8, 80 hp Wing Span: 51 ft 9 in [15.78 m] Length: 30 ft 6 in [9.3 m] Height: 10 ft 4 in [3.15 m] Empty Weight: 1,442 lb [654 kg] Gross Weight: 2,046 lb [928 kg] Max Speed: 72 mph [116 km/h] Crew: 1-2 Armament: None |
 The French Caudron G.III was a two seat, single-engined tractor biplane, with a twin-boom tail. The end of the lower booms was used as a landing skid. It was initially built in May of 1913. Its wing spars were of ash and spruce with reinforcing strips of metal. The wings had no dihedral. The design used wing warping, rather than ailerons, for controlling movement of the aircraft. Initially, the horizontal stabilizer also used warping, but later a hinged stabilizer was added. The aircraft was used as an Army cooperation and reconnaissance machine. |
Caudron G.III Type: Reconnaissance Entered Service: 1914 Engine: 90 hp Anzani engine Wing Span: 13.40 m Length: 6.40 m Height: 2.5 m Empty Weight: 420 kg Gross Weight: 710 kg Max Speed: 112 mph Endurance: 4 hours Crew: 2 Armament: none |
 A "parasol" monoplane, the Morane Type L was a fragile two-seat reconnaissance aircraft. It was the first aircraft armed with a fixed machine gun that fired through the propellor arc. Bullets which struck the propellor were deflected by steel plates. Armed with a Hotchkiss machine gun firing 8 mm solid copper bullets, Roland Garros tested the design in April 1915. He scored three victories in three weeks before the plane was captured by the Germans. |
Morane-Saulnier L Type: Fighter Reconnaissance First Introduced: 1913 Number Built: 600 Engine: Gnome, rotary, 80 hp Wing Span: 36 ft 9 in 11.2 m Length: 22 ft 6¾ in 6.88 m Height: 12 ft 10½ in 3.93 m Empty Weight: 385 kg Gross Weight: 1,441 lb 655 kg Max Speed: 71.5 mph 115 kmh Ceiling: 13,123 ft 4000 m Endurance: 2½ hours Crew: 1 or 2 Armament: 1 machine gun |
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Original material copyright © 7/8/99 W. Ira Boucher. All Rights Reserved. |
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