The monoplane designed for Armand Deperdussin in 1912 by Louis B‚chereau had a monocoque fuselage and a large propeller spinner. This streamlining-along with two seven-cylinder rotary engines-helped it fly faster than many other planes of its time. It was the first plane to fly faster than 200 kilometers per hour (124 miles per hour).

Credits - (c) 2001 National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian Institution (SI Neg. NoA-1640)