User:TheLongTone/Deperdussin 1911 Military Trial monoplanes

The Deperdussin 1911 Military Trial monoplanes were three similar aircraft built by Deperdussin for the French Military Aircraft Trials held at Reims in October 1911. All were three-seaters, differing in the engine used, overall dimensions and seating arrangement.

Design

Two of the aircraft seated the two passengers side by side with the pilot sitting behind. One was powered by a 80 horsepower (60 kW) 6-cylinder Anzani air-cooled radial engine and the other by a 100 horsepower (75 kW) Gnome double Omega, but were otherwise identical. Small triangular fixed fin and rectangular rudder, triangular fixed horizontal stabiliser with elevator.

Wings slightly tapered with a cutaway in the trailing edge where it joined the fuselage to enhance the pilot's downward wiew fuselage covered with aluminium sheet to behind the pilot's seat Length: 8.9 m (29 ft 2 in) Span: 12.45 m (40 ft 10 in ) Wing area 29 m² (310 sq ft)

The third was powered by a 100 horsepower (75 kW) Clerget water-cooled engine housed in a bulky aluminium cowling and had inline seating. Flat radiators were mounted along the lower sides of the fuselage, and fuel was carried in a large cylindrical tank below the fuselage.

Length 8.7 m (28 ft  6 in), Wingspan 12.02 m (39 ft 5 in) Wing area 28 m3 wt 450 kg http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k65523525/f560.image.r=deperdussin.langEN p554

In the trials the Anzani engined aircraft was flown by Jules Védrines,

Gnome was flown by Maurice Prevost, won third place in the trials.

Flown in the competition by Vidart, who crashed severely damaging the aircraft and killing a soldier on the ground.

Four aircraft were ordered by the French Army. http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k65523525/f558.image