AIRCRAFT INVESTIGATION
weight and performance calculations for the Bleriot XII
Bleriot XII
role : experimental/research/flying trials
importance : ****
first flight : 21 May 1909 operational : May 1909
country : France
design : Louis Bleriot
production : 3+ aircraft
general information :
Type XII was the first aircraft to fly with 2 passengers ( Santos-Dumont and Andre Fournier ). This was done at Issy on 12 June 1909. On July 3, 1909, a flight of 47.23 km was made at Douai.
After this the XII was re-engined with a 60 hp ENV
Louis Bleriot set a new world speed record on August 24, 1909 by flying 74.3 km/h at Reims in his type XII with 60 hp ENV engine. On 28 August 1909, he improved this record by flying 77.0 km/u. The next day Bleriot crashed at Reims with his type XII. Bleriot survived the crash.
users : Louis Bleriot, Claude Graham-White
crew : 1
passengers : 1
engine : 1 E.N.V. liquid-cooled 8 -cylinder V-engine 60 [hp](44.7 KW)
dimensions :
wingspan : 9.5 [m], length : 8.5 [m], height : 2.6[m]
wing area : 23.0 [m^2]
weights :
max.take-off weight : 565 [kg]
empty weight operational : 375 [kg] useful load : 0 [kg]
performance :
maximum speed :77 [km/hr] at sea-level
cruise speed :69 [km/u] op 50 [m]
service ceiling : 650 [m]
range : 50 [km]
estimated endurance : 0.72 [hours]
description :
low-wing mononplane with fixed landing gear with tail wheel(s)
two spar wing
engine, landing gear and useful-load in or attached to fuselage, fuel in gravity tank
In December 1909 Claude Graham-White bought a Bleriot XII powered by a 60 hp ENV engine. He called it “White Eagle” but found it unsatisfactory and sold it. It was presented to the British War office and was flown from France to the UK, were it was stationed in Larkhill . It was eventually rebuilt by the RAF and transformed into the S.E.1 .
airscrew :
fixed pitch 2 -bladed tractor airscrew with max. efficiency :0.61 [ ]
diameter airscrew 2.55 [m]
angle of attack prop : 16.97 [ ]
reduction : 0.70 [ ]
airscrew revs : 700 [r.p.m.]
pitch at Max speed 1.83 [m]
blade-tip speed at Vmax and max revs. : 96 [m/s]
calculation : *1* (dimensions)
measured wing chord : 2.29 [m]
mean wing chord : 2.42 [m]
wing aspect ratio : 3.92 []
gap : 0.00 [m]
seize (span*length*height) : 210 [m^3]
calculation : *2* (fuel consumption)
oil consumption : 1.2 [kg/hr]
fuel consumption(cruise speed) : 14.9 [kg/hr] (20.3 [litre/hr]) at 86 [%] power
distance flown for 1 kg fuel : 4.65 [km/kg] at 325 [m] cruise height, sfc : 388.2 [kg/kwh]
estimated total fuel capacity : 16.64 [litre] (12.20 [kg])
calculation : *3* (weight)
weight engine(s) dry : 130.0 [kg] = 2.91 [kg/KW]
weight reduction gear : 3.1 [kg]
weight 2.2 litre oil tank : 0.19 [kg]
oil tank filled with 0.3 litre oil : 0.3 [kg]
oil in engine 2.5 litre oil : 2.2 [kg]
fuel in engine 0.3 litre fuel : 0.22 [kg]
weight 16.6 litre gravity patrol tank(s) : 2.5 [kg]
weight radiator : 6.4 [kg]
weight exhaust pipes & fuel lines 5.1 [kg]
weight cowling 1.8 [kg]
weight airscrew(s) (wood) incl. boss & bolts : 8.6 [kg]
total weight propulsion system : 163 [kg](28.9 [%])
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fuselage skeleton (wood gauge : 5.17 [cm]): 58 [kg]
bracing : 3.5 [kg]
weight instruments. : 1.1 [kg]
weight controls : 4.5 [kg]
weight seats : 3.0 [kg]
weight engine mount : 2.2 [kg]
total weight fuselage : 73 [kg](12.8 [%])
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weight wing covering (doped linen fabric) : 19 [kg]
total weight ribs (19 ribs) : 34 [kg]
load on front upper spar (clmax) per running metre : 466.8 [N]
load on rear upper spar (vmax) per running metre : 143.8 [N]
total weight 4 spars : 24 [kg]
weight wings : 77 [kg]
weight wing/square meter : 3.34 [kg]
weight cables (38 [m]) : 7.6 [kg] (= 201 [gram] per metre)
diameter cable : 5.7 [mm]
weight fin & rudder (1.0 [m2]) : 3.7 [kg]
weight stabilizer & elevator (2.6 [m2]): 8.8 [kg]
total weight wing surfaces & bracing : 97 [kg] (17.2 [%])
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wheel pressure : 282.5 [kg]
weight 2 wheels (650 [mm] by 76 [mm]) : 12.3 [kg]
weight tailwheel(s) : 5.9 [kg]
weight undercarriage with axle 21.3 [kg]
total weight landing gear : 39.5 [kg] (7.0 [%]
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Remains of the Bleriot XII (nr. 22) flown by Louis Bleriot which crashed on 29 August 1909 during the Aviation Week which was held in Reims. Flying low, the aircraft stalled. Blériot managed to crash land the aircraft and get clear, rolling on the ground to put out his overalls, which had caught fire, but the aircraft was destroyed.
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calculated empty weight : 373 [kg](65.9 [%])
weight oil for 0.9 hours flying : 1.0 [kg]
weight cooling fluids : 9.7 [kg]
calculated operational weight empty : 383 [kg] (67.8 [%])
published operational weight empty : 375 [kg] (66.4 [%])
___o___
"
weight crew : 81 [kg]
weight fuel for 0.4 hours flying : 6 [kg]
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operational weight : 470 [kg](83.2 [%])
fuel reserve : 6.2 [kg] enough for 0.42 [hours] flying
possible additional useful load : 89 [kg]
operational weight fully loaded : 565 [kg] with fuel tank filled for 100 [%]
published maximum take-off weight : 565 [kg] (100.0 [%])
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calculation : * 4 * (engine power)
power loading (Take-off) : 12.63 [kg/kW]
power loading (operational without useful load) : 10.51 [kg/kW]
total power : 44.7 [kW] at 1000 [r.p.m]
calculation : *5* (loads)
manoeuvre load : 0.7 [g] at 1000 [m]
limit load : 3.0 [g] ultimate load : 4.5 [g] load factor : 2.4 [g]
design flight time : 0.58 [hours]
On 12 June 1909 the Type XII was the first aircraft to fly with 2 passengers. With the 30-35 hp engine the empty weight was around 300 kg, MTOW around 565 kg, with this weight stalling speed was around 68 km/hr and max speed around 70 km/hr, so it could just fly close to stalling speed. The flight lasted only for 300 [m] flown in a straight line, probably close to the ground so to use the ground effect. The wingloading was very high with 241 N/m2 during this flight. Also the powerloading was high with 25.3 kg/KW. Take-off distance was around 236m. Ceiling with operational weigh 386 kg : 813 [m]. Theoretical with additional fuel tanks max.range could have been 1500 km, but no long distance flights were done with this aircraft. Possibly the engine was not reliable to operate for longer then 1 hr, max distance flown was 47 km on 03 July 1909.
design cycles : 491 sorties, design hours : 85 [hours]
operational wing loading : 200 [N/m^2]
wing stress (3 g) during operation : 180 [N/kg] at 3g emergency manoeuvre
calculation : *6* (angles of attack)
angle of attack zero lift : -1.49 ["]
max. angle of attack (stalling angle) : 13.75 ["]
angle of attack at max. speed : 9.21 ["]
calculation : *7* (lift & drag ratios
lift coefficient at angle of attack 0° :0.10 [ ]
lift coefficient at max. angle of attack : 1.02 [ ]
lift coefficient at max. speed : 0.72 [ ]
induced drag coefficient at max. speed : 0.0559 [ ]
drag coefficient at max. speed : 0.1956 [ ]
drag coefficient (zero lift) : 0.1397 [ ]
calculation : *8* (speeds
stalling speed at sea-level (OW): 64 [km/u]
stalling speed at sea-level (MTOW): 71 [km/u]
landing speed at sea-level: 76 [km/hr]
min. drag speed (max endurance) : 72 [km/hr] at 325 [m] (power:87 [%])
min. power speed (max range) : 72 [km/hr] at 325 [m] (power:87 [%])
cruising speed : 69 [km/hr] op 325 [m] (power:83 [%])
design speed prop : 73 [km/hr]
maximum speed : 77 [km/hr] op 50 [m] (power:99 [%])
climbing speed at sea-level : 82 [m/min]
calculation : *9* (regarding various performances)
take-off speed : 74.1 [km/u]
emergency/TO power : 88 [hp] at 1138 [rpm]
static prop wash : 57 [km/u]
take-off distance at sea-level : 237 [m]
lift/drag ratio : 4.07 [ ]
climbing speed at 500m : 52.27 [m/min]
time to 500m : 8.06 [min]
climbing speed at 1000m : 22.31 [m/min]
time to 1000m : 30.48 [min]
published ceiling (650 [m]
practical ceiling (operational weight) : 1308 [m] with flying weight :470 [kg] line 3385
turning speed at CLmax : 70.7 [km/u] at 50 [m] height
turn radius at 50m: 59 [m]
time needed for 360* turn 18.9 [seconds] at 50m
load factor at max. angle turn 1.20 ["g"]
calculation *10* (action radius & endurance)
operational endurance : 0.82 [hours] with 1 crew and 88.6 [kg] useful load and 100.0 [%] fuel
published range : 50 [km] with 1 crew and 90.0 [kg] useful load and 88.1 [%] fuel
max range theoretically with additional fuel tanks for total 137.5 [litre] fuel : 468.9 [km]
useful load with action-radius 250km : 0 [kg]
production (500 km) : 0 [tonkm/hour]
literatuur :
Jane’s record breaking aircraft blz.15
Praktisch handboek vliegtuigen deel 1 blz.96
Historische vliegtuigen blz.106
Warplanes page 19
Wikipedia
