Pioneer Louis Bleriot established the basic form for the aeroplane with his Model XI of 1909. The large aircraft his company created during and after World War I were anything but classics of form and function.

Most of the big Bleriots suffered from a surfeit of struts and wheels, and had their engines mounted very close together near the centreline. The Bleriot 67 bomber prototype was underpowered and slow, even by 1917 standards. The 1919 Type 74 was no better, but added especially bad handling qualities. The Type 73 which succeeded it was a truly bizarre creature with eight wheels and a highly swept rear fuselage. It lasted only two or three flights before breaking up in the air. One of the two Type 115 airliners also crashed, and the other could barely cruise at 100km/h when loaded.