J.Davilla, A.Soltan French Aircraft of the First World War (Flying Machines)

Bleriot 73/74/75/76

  The failure of the French industry to produce an adequate bomber had forced the Aviation Militaire to have Italian Caproni bombers built under license by the R.E.P. firm. In the meantime, the French manufacturers started work on a whole set of new designs to produce an acceptable night bomber of the BN 3 (Bombardment Nuit 3, night bomber with a crew of three) category. The follow up to the Bleriot 71 day bomber was the Bleriot 73, designed from the outset as a night bomber.
  The Bleriot 73, again designed by Touillet, was a large biplane with four 300-hp Hispano-Suiza 8Fb engines in a similar layout to that of the Bleriot 67. The bottom wing was attached directly lo the top of the fuselage, which had an upswept tail and was constructed like that of a flying boat hull. This aircraft also had a biplane tail with three fins and rudders. The undercarriage consisted of a four-wheel bogie under each of the lower engines; this arrangement allowed for efficient weight distribution. Another feature of the undercarriage was a nose wheel to prevent the aircraft from nosing over (a common problem when landing at night). Aileron balances were of the Constatin vane style and greatly eased the work of the pilot in controlling the aircraft. Bombs were carried in racks mounted on the lower wing and fuselage sides.
  Flight testing was conducted at Buc in July 1918. On the first flight the test pilot (named Poullet) was killed when the Bleriot 73 crashed on landing when a gust ol wind blew the aircraft off its landing path. Testing was completed in January of 1920; but the war's end ensured further development was abandoned.
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Bleriot 73 Heavy Bomber with Four 300-hp Hispano-Suiza 8Fb Engines
   Span 28 m; length 14.50 m; height 6.15 tn; wing area 148 sq. m
   Empty weight 3,200 kg; loaded weight 6,880 kg
   Maximum speed: 130 km/h, endurance 6 hours 40 minutes
   One built