1-151-861 - Ann Ronan Picture Library/Heritage-Images

Bleriot monoplane used by the British army, 1914. This aircraft was essentially the same as the one in which Louis Bleriot made the first successful flight across the English Channel in 1909. The French and British used Bleriot monoplanes as reconnaissance aircraft early in World War I, but by 1915 they were obsolete for military purposes as aeroplane design advanced rapidly.