weight and performance calculations for the Bleriot VII
The Bleriot VII had a nicely streamlined appearance.
Bleriot VII
role : experimental/research/flying trials
importance : ****
first flight : 16 November 1907 operational : November 1907
country : France
design : Louis Bleriot
production : 1 prototype
general information :
First monoplane aircraft with tractor propeller that made a sustainable flight. It was
nicely streamlined and could attain a speed of 80 km/hr. The tail surfaces could act as elevators and independently as ailerons, later became known as elevons. After taxi-trials it made the first flight on 16 November 1907 covering 500 [m] at Issy-les-Moulineaux . At the end of November Bleriot made modifications to the aircraft, attaching the wings higher to the fuselage and installing a steel tube cabane structure to take the wings bracing wires. On 6 December 1907 it made a new flight in which Bleriot managed to make a U-turn. Then on 18 December 1907 Bleriot flew again but crashed. The aircraft was destroyed but Bleriot escaped without serious injury, probably because of the cabane structure. Theoretically the aircraft could have made longer and higher flights, probably because it was instable and difficult to control it only made small hops of about 500m.
users : Louis Bleriot
crew : 1
engine : 1 Antoinette 50hp liquid-cooled 8 -cylinder V-engine 50 [hp](37.3 KW)
dimensions :
wingspan : 11.0 [m], length : 9.5 [m], height : 2.75[m]
wing area : 25.0 [m^2]
weights :
max.take-off weight : 425 [kg]
empty weight operational (estimation): 335.0 [kg] useful load : 0 [kg]
performance :
maximum speed :80 [km/hr] at sea-level
service ceiling : 20 [m]
endurance : 0.4 [hours]
estimated action radius : 14 [km]
description :
low-wing monoplane with fixed landing gear with tail wheel(s)
two spar wing
airscrew :
fixed pitch 4 -bladed tractor airscrew with max. efficiency :0.54 [ ]
estimated diameter airscrew 2.75 [m]
peddle shaped propeller, steel shaft, aluminium blades
angle of attack prop : 10.60 [ ]
fine pitch
reduction : 1.00 [ ]
airscrew revs : 1100 [r.p.m.]
pitch at Max speed 1.21 [m]
blade-tip speed at Vmax and max revs. : 160 [m/s]
calculation : *1* (dimensions)
measured wing chord : 2.29 [m]
mean wing chord : 2.27 [m]
wing aspect ratio : 4.84 []
seize (span*length*height) : 287 [m^3]
calculation : *2* (fuel consumption)
oil consumption : 0.9 [kg/hr]
fuel consumption(cruise speed) : 18.7 [kg/hr] (25.6 [litre/hr]) at 100 [%] power
distance flown for 1 kg fuel : 3.84 [km/kg] at 10 [m] cruise height, sfc : 503.5 [kg/kwh]
estimated total fuel capacity : 10.23 [litre] (7.50 [kg])
calculation : *3* (weight)
weight engine(s) dry : 95.0 [kg] = 2.55 [kg/KW]
weight 1.4 litre oil tank : 0.12 [kg]
oil tank filled with 0.3 litre oil : 0.3 [kg]
oil in engine 2.1 litre oil : 1.9 [kg]
fuel in engine 0.3 litre fuel : 0.19 [kg]
weight 0.7 litre gravity patrol tank(s) : 0.1 [kg]
weight radiator : 28.2 [kg]
weight exhaust pipes & fuel lines 1.7 [kg]
weight cowling 1.5 [kg]
weight airscrew(s) (wood) incl. boss & bolts : 24.6 [kg]
total weight propulsion system : 153 [kg](36.1 [%])
***************************************************************
fuselage skeleton (wood gauge : 4.37 [cm]): 46 [kg]
bracing : 3.1 [kg]
fuselage covering ( 17.0 [m2] doped linen fabric) : 5.5 [kg]
weight instruments. : 1.1 [kg]
weight controls : 5.0 [kg]
weight seats : 3.0 [kg]
weight 9 [litre] main fuel tank empty : 0.8 [kg]
weight engine mount : 1.9 [kg]
total weight fuselage : 67 [kg](15.7 [%])
***************************************************************
weight wing covering (doped linen fabric) : 17 [kg]
total weight ribs (15 ribs) : 25 [kg]
load on front upper spar (clmax) per running metre : 276.7 [N]
load on rear upper spar (vmax) per running metre : 89.8 [N]
total weight 4 spars : 19 [kg]
weight wings : 62 [kg]
weight wing/square meter : 2.46 [kg]
weight cables (44 [m]) : 7.0 [kg] (= 160 [gram] per metre)
diameter cable : 5.1 [mm]
weight fin & rudder (1.4 [m2]) : 3.7 [kg]
weight stabilizer & elevator (2.8 [m2]): 7.1 [kg]
total weight wing surfaces & bracing : 79 [kg] (18.7 [%])
*******************************************************************
wheel pressure : 212.5 [kg]
weight 2 wheels (650 [mm] by 76 [mm]) : 10.8 [kg]
weight tailwheel(s) : 5.9 [kg]
weight undercarriage with axle 14.5 [kg]
total weight landing gear : 31.2 [kg] (7.3 [%]
*******************************************************************
********************************************************************
calculated empty weight : 331 [kg](77.8 [%])
weight oil for 0.5 hours flying : 0.4 [kg]
weight cooling fluids : 8.1 [kg]
calculated operational weight empty : 339 [kg] (79.8 [%])
estimated operational weight empty : 335 [kg] (78.8 [%])
___o___
‘ ‘
weight crew : 77 [kg]
weight fuel for 0.4 hours flying : 7 [kg]
********************************************************************
operational weight : 423 [kg](99.6 [%])
fuel reserve : 0 [kg] enough for 0. [hours] flying
possible additional useful load : 1 [kg]
operational weight fully loaded : 425 [kg] with fuel tank filled for 100 [%]
published maximum take-off weight : 425 [kg] (100.0 [%])
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calculation : * 4 * (engine power)
power loading (operational without bombload) : 11.36 [kg/kW]
total power : 37.3 [kW] at 1100 [r.p.m]
calculation : *5* (loads)
manoeuvre load : 1.2 [g] at 1000 [m]
limit load : 3.0 [g] ultimate load : 4.5 [g] load factor : 2.3 [g]
design flight time : 0.32 [hours]
design cycles : 59 sorties, design hours : 11 [hours]
operational wing loading : 166 [N/m^2]
wing stress (3 g) during operation : 202 [N/kg] at 3g emergency manoeuvre
calculation : *6* (angles of attack)
angle of attack zero lift : -1.36 ["]
max. angle of attack (stalling angle) : 14.46 ["]
Bleriot VII with steel tube cabane for the bracing wires and two-bladed propeller, December 1907
angle of attack at max. speed : 6.13 ["]
calculation : *7* (lift & drag ratios
lift coefficient at angle of attack 0° :0.10 [ ]
lift coefficient at max. angle of attack : 1.16 [ ]
lift coefficient at max. speed : 0.55 [ ]
induced drag coefficient at max. speed : 0.0265 [ ]
drag coefficient at max. speed : 0.1190 [ ]
drag coefficient (zero lift) : 0.0925 [ ]
calculation : *8* (speeds
stalling speed at sea-level (OW): 55 [km/u]
landing speed at sea-level: 58 [km/hr]
min. drag speed (max endurance) : 61 [km/hr] at 10 [m] (power:66 [%])
min. power speed (max range) : 61 [km/hr] at 10 [m] (power:66 [%])
cruising speed : 72 [km/hr] op 10 [m] (power:81 [%])
design speed prop : 76 [km/hr]
maximum speed : 80 [km/hr] op 10 [m] (power:100 [%])
climbing speed at sea-level : 101 [m/min]
calculation : *9* (regarding various performances)
take-off speed : 57.9 [km/u]
static prop wash : 70 [km/u]
take-off distance at sea-level : 42 [m]
Bleriot VII with higher placed attachment for the wings, December 1907
lift/drag ratio : 5.55 [ ]
time to 1000m : 15.02 [min]
max attainable height is limited by amount of fuel carried
published ceiling (20 [m]
practical ceiling (operational weight) : 1488 [m] with flying weight :416 [kg]
max. dive speed : 169.8 [km/hr] at 1078 [m] height
turning speed at CLmax : 65.7 [km/u] at 50 [m] height
turn radius at 50m: 34 [m]
time needed for 360* turn 11.6 [seconds] at 50m
load factor at max. angle turn 1.42 ["g"]
calculation *10* (action radius & endurance)
operational endurance : 0.40 [hours] with 1 crew and 1.2 [kg] useful load and 100.0 [%] fuel
published endurance : 0.40 [hours] with 1 crew and possible useful load : 1.2 [kg] and 100.0 [%] fuel
maximum action radius : 17 [km] with 1 crew and 0 [kg] useful load ( 11.9 [litre] additional fuel needed)
max range theoretically with additional fuel tanks for total 11.9 [litre] fuel : 33.6 [km]
useful load with action-radius 250km : 0 [kg]
production (500 km) : 0 [tonkm/hour]
Literature :
Praktisch handbook vliegtuigen deel 1 page 43
Historische vliegtuigen page 51
DISCLAIMER Above calculations are based on published data, they must be
regarded as indication not as facts.
Calculated performance and weight may not correspond with actual weights
and performances and are assumptions for which no responsibility can be taken.
Calculations are as accurate as possible, they can be fine-tuned when more data
is available, you are welcome to give suggestions and additional information
so we can improve our program. For copyright on drawings/photographs/
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(c) B van der Zalm 19 July 2020 contact : info.aircraftinvestigation@gmail.com python 3.7.4