The Blériot XI is one of the most famous aircraft in the history of aviation, protagonist of the first crossing of the English Channel and the first wartime flight.
General information
Thousands were built all over the world, including Italy. The French industrialist Louis Blériot (1872-1936) began his aeronautical research in 1900 with a series of designs culminating in the Type VIII ter, which on 1 November 1908 covered 28 km. With the collaboration of Raymond Saulnier (1881-1964) and three workmen, Blériot then created the Type XI, a monoplane with a lattice fuselage and braced, warping wings for lateral control. The aircraft began flight testing in January 1909, when Blériot received pilot licence no. 1 in France. In the following months wings of ever greater area were fitted, together with the 25 hp three-cylinder engine of the Italian Alessandro Anzani (1879-1956).
In this configuration Blériot crossed the Channel on 25 July 1909, winning the £1,000 prize and achieving worldwide fame. Within five years more than 1,500 Type XIs were built, in versions that sometimes differed greatly from the prototype. It was produced and operated in many countries of the world, including Italy. During the Italo-Turkish war, on 23 October 1911, Captain Carlo M. Piazza (1871-1917) flew a Blériot on a reconnaissance over Azizia: it was the world's first wartime flight.
Length 8.40 m
Wingspan 10.30 m
Height 2.60 m
Wing area 20.33 sq m
Empty weight 345 kg
Max take-off weight 585 kg
Max speed 95 km/h
Service ceiling 4,000 m
Endurance 3 h 30 min
History of aircraft I-PONI
This Blériot XI, the only one flying in Italy, was built in 1987-88 by Giancarlo Zanardo from the 1910 Rozendaal drawings, supplemented by measurements taken on the original aircraft at the Italian Air Force Museum in order to make it a two-seater. It is powered by an 85 hp Continental C-90-12F engine and retains the original wing-warping control system.
With G.Carlo Zanardo at the controls it crossed the English Channel from Calais to Rochester on 19 July 1989 and has taken part in many air shows in Italy; in 1989 it won the Rotondi Trophy of the Club Aviazione Popolare for the best amateur-built aircraft of the year.