The Online Magazine of Aviators, Pilots and Adventurers
Since 1997.
Feb
16
2015
The Flying Masterpiece
Posted by HW on 16 Feb 2015 /
6 Comments
This Week’s Hints to help you along:
- The product of a well-mustached, wide-eyed French aviator.
- Just 200 kg, 9 meters long and 10 meters in wingspan.
- A 70 hp Gnome powers the spirited little aeroplane.
- An early bird that flew competitively in France and England.
- And yes, those are wing tip ailerons, as in, oh yeah, the entire wing tip moves!
So do you know what this aircraft is?
Post a REPLY below with your best guess!
Click here to check out the previous What’s That?
6 Comments
LarryO
3 yearss ago
Bleriot
Tom Comeau
3 yearss ago
Bleriot.
Gert van Kruiningen
3 yearss ago
This looks very much like a Bleriot bi plane.
I am building a Bleriot XI at the moment 
Yes it has all the characteristics of a Bleriot XI, apart from the wing warping, just two sets of wings and two sets of elevators.
rab
3 yearss ago
Goupy noi. 2
HW
3 yearss ago
That is right! Great eye!
This biplane is the not-so-very-famous Goupy No. 2. It was designed in 1909 by M. Goupy in France and flown at Buc then taken onto the flying circuit to prove its capabilities. The first engine in the biplane when built was a 29 hp R.E.P. motor driving a four-bladed prop and weighed (empty) just 290 kg — the engine was later upgraded as it was obviously at first underpowered!
As for those guessing Blériot, you’re not quite entirely wrong — the biplane was built by Blériot on contract for M. Goupy after all, hence the familiar features that you also see on a Blériot XI, among other aeroplanes he built.
Looks like a Blériot VIII or IX made into a biplane. Louis Blériot would fit the mustachioed and wide-eyed French-man. The Blériot VIII & IX had the wing-tip ailerons. Was there an experimental Blériot bi-plane version made?