On 25 July 1909, Louis Bl?iot made history when he flew his Bl?iot XI monoplane across the English Channel from France to England. His fragile looking aircraft did not go unnoticed. By the following year, it was in use by the military of France and Italy. Great Britain began flying it in 1912. When the war began, eight squadrons of the French Air Service, seven squadrons of the Royal Flying Corps and six squadrons of the Italian Air Service were equipped with variations of the Bl?iot XI. Structural improvements and larger engines led to several versions of the aircraft, including the Bl?iot CI-3 three-seater. The XI Militaire and XI Artillerie monoplanes were single-seat models, while the XI-2 G?Eem>nie and XI-2 Artillerie were two-seaters with larger engines. Units Royal Flying Corps: 16 Specifications Country: France Manufacturer: Louis Bl?iot Type: Reconnaissance Entered Service: 1914 Number Built: 132 Engine(s): Gnome rotary, 50 hp (XI Militaire and XI Artillerie) Gnome rotary, 70 hp (XI-2 G?Eem>nie and XI-2 Artillerie) Wing Span: 33 ft 11 in [10.33 m] Length: 27 ft 10 in [8.48 m] Height: 8 ft 5 in [2.65 m] Empty Weight: Gross Weight: 1,838 lb [834 kg] Max Speed: 66 mph [106 km/h] Ceiling: 3,280 ft [1,000 m] Endurance: 3? hours Crew: 1 (XI Militaire and XI Artillerie) 2 (XI-2 G?Eem>nie and XI-2 Artillerie) Armament: None Aircraft Guests Search Copyright ? 1997-2002 Page revised on 09 January 2005