The Single-seat Short Monoplane was designed and built at Eastchurch in 1911, where the famous balloon-manufacturing brothers Short set up the world's first production line of aircraft. The likeness of the 1911 Short Monoplane to the earlier Bleriot types is obvious, but the brothers Short stressed their first monoplane to withstand hard use. The undercarriage was especially rugged . Commander C. R. Samson. R.N. undertook the first flights in February 1912. Powered by a 50-h.p. Gnome seven-cylinder rotary driving a two-blade Chauviere wooden airscrew. the monoplane had a maximum speed of 60-65 m.p.h . Span. 29 ft . 3 in .; length . 25 ft .