Breguet Type I
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The Breguet Type I was an experimental aircraft built in France in 1909. It was Louis Bréguet's first fixed-wing aircraft design.[1][2] Breguet had previously had some success with two helicopter designs, one of which had been exhibited at the Paris Aero Salon in December 1908. Because of these machines, the Type I was at first known as the Breguet Type III.
| Breguet Type I | |
|---|---|
| Breguet Type I after accident at the Grande Semaine d'Aviation in August 1909 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Experimental aircraft |
| National origin | France |
| Manufacturer | Louis Breguet |
| Designer | |
| Number built | 1 |
| History | |
| First flight | 28 June 1909 |
Design
The Breguet Type 1 differed from most biplane designs of the time by being of tractor configuration and not having a forward elevator, as used by the Wright Brothers and Gabriel Voisin, and in using a steel structure when wood was the material of choice for most builders at the time. The engine was mounted at the front of the aircraft in a square section nacelle projecting forwards from the lower wing, driving a three-bladed propeller. The upper wing was built in three separate sections, with the entire outer sections pivoting about the main spar for control purposes, while the lower wings, which had a smaller wingspan, were divided into two pivoting planes, with a large gap between them in place of a centre section. The wings were connected by four steel tube interplane struts, each enclosed in a streamlined fairing. The tail surfaces were mounted on four cross-braced steel booms and consisted of a large-span upper elevator and a smaller lower surface, with a pair of rudders filling the gap between them. The undercarriage consisted of a pair of forward-projecting skids with a small wheel mounted between them, supplemented by outrigger wheels on each wingtip. Power was provided by a 60 hp (45 kW) Renault V-8 engine.
The machine was displayed without an engine at the Olympia Aero Show in London in March 1909[3] and first took to the air on 28 June at La Brayelle Airfield.[2] Bréguet flew this aircraft, given the exhibition number 19, at the Grande Semaine d'Aviation in August,[4] but crashed when the machine was caught in a gust of wind . Bréguet himself was unharmed.[5]
Specifications
Data from Hartmann 2005, p.6
General characteristics
- Crew: one pilot
- Length: 9.15 m (30 ft 0 in)
- Wingspan: 13.70 m (44 ft 11 in)
- Wing area: 40.0 m2 (404 sq ft)
- Empty weight: 580 kg (1,300 lb)
- Gross weight: 800 kg (1,800 lb)
- Powerplant: 1 × Renault 50/60 hp , 45 kW (60 hp)
Performance
- Maximum speed: 60 km/h (40 mph, 35 kn)
