The Borel military monoplane (company designation: Bo.14)[1] was a French single-engine, two-seat aircraft designed shortly before World War I in response to a French Army requirement for an aircraft to seek and destroy enemy balloon airships.
| Borel Military Type Monoplane | |
|---|---|
 | |
| General information | |
| Type | Anti-balloon fighter |
| Manufacturer | Etablissements Borel |
| Number built | 1 |
| History | |
| First flight | 1913 |
Design and development
editThe Military Monoplane had an unconventional design, owing to its unique mission requirement. The pilot and observer sat side by side in an open cockpit within a pod or nacelle that also carried a high monoplane wing and the engine driving a pusher propeller. The pod also featured windows on each side, near the crew members' feet to facilitate downwards visibility when hunting balloons. A cruciform empennage was carried on an open truss of triangular cross-section, the upper longeron of which passed through the propeller hub. Despite reportedly good flying characteristics, the idea never passed beyond the construction of a single prototype.
Specifications
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General characteristics
- Crew: two, pilot and observer
- Length: 7.52 m (24 ft 8 in)
- Wingspan: 11.58 m (38 ft 0 in)
- Height: 3.00 m (9 ft 10 in)
- Wing area: 19.1 m2 (205 sq ft)
- Powerplant: 1 × Gnome air-cooled rotary piston engine , 37 kW (50 hp)
Performance
See also
edit
References
editBibliography
edit- Taylor, Michael J. H. (1989). Jane's Encyclopedia of Aviation. London: Studio Editions. p. 193.
- "Flightglobal Archive"., archived at: The Wayback Machine
- Aero and Hydro September 13, 1913