BLERIOT XI

The famous Blériot XI is a historic aircraft from 1909, developed by aviation pioneer Louis Blériot.

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My desire to develop such a light 3d printable airplane that is also suitable for indoor use brought me to this method of construction. All parts of the wooden construction are printed from PLA or Tough PLA and the wings and tail plane are covered with Parchment or tissue paper. Of course the Blériot is not as maneuverable as the Depron indoor aerobatic models and needs a correspondingly large hall. When there is no wind, it can of course also be flown outdoors.

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The assembly is not as complicated as you might think. For example, a wing consists of only three printed parts. Spars and ribs are already printed in combination. Of course, precise work is required.

 

A special highlight are the completely printed spoked wheels. The entire gear is spring loaded like the original.

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The necessary absolute weight-saving construction method naturally requires some deviations from the original here and there. But it is nevertheless succeeded that this small model looks very true to the original and also looks great in the air.

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Especially the landings are fun with the super soft suspension.