Hanriot monoplane
Hanriot · France · first flew 1909 · light aircraft
The Hanriot monoplane of 1909 was one of the earliest French pioneer aircraft, designed and built by industrialist René Hanriot and first flown late in 1909 at Reims, representing France's early entry into the new science of heavier-than-air flight.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | High-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 1 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Rear fuselage tapers to a thin wooden tail boom carrying a small conventional empennage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Pioneer wire-braced monoplane with a deeply cambered, broad-chord wing — typical Blériot-era form
- Uncowled engine at the nose with the pilot seated in an open tub-like nacelle
- Rear fuselage tapers to a thin wooden tail boom carrying a small conventional empennage
Typical of the 1909 Blériot-era monoplane school: a single high-mounted wing with pronounced camber, wire bracing running from a central kingpost, and an open pilot position. The tractor engine is uncowled and exposed. The tail boom is notably slender, giving the aircraft a large-wing, thin-tail proportion that is characteristic of the earliest French monoplanes.
Specifications
- The Hanriot monoplane has a length of 9.4 m (31 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 9.16 m (30 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 80 km/h (50 mph).
- Typical crew: 1.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
René Hanriot, a successful automobile manufacturer, commissioned the monoplane as a sporting and exhibition aircraft and had it ready for the Grande Semaine d'Aviation de la Champagne at Reims in August 1909, though it did not fly competitively there. Successful flights followed later that year, with Hanriot and his teenage son Marcel both piloting the aircraft. The design attracted commercial interest and led to a series of developed Hanriot monoplanes flown in competition through 1910–12.
Variants
Several running refinements followed, including aircraft with 50 hp Buchet or 35 hp Hanriot proprietary engines. Later Hanriot designs through 1912 are counted as separate types.
Where you'll see it
Used purely as a private and exhibition aircraft; no military or postal service. The Hanriot name became more widely known through the WWI Hanriot HD.1 fighter, though that was a separate company lineage.
Related aircraft
AircraftIQ — the aircraft field guide: 4,893 recognition guides, live overhead identification, works offline.