Bleriot XI – Photos & Video

Photo gallery of a Bleriot XI, The Blériot XI is a French aircraft. The first example was used by Louis Blériot to make the first flight across the English Channel in a heavier-than-air aircraft on 25 July 1909. This achievement is one of the most famous accomplishments of the pioneer era of aviation, and not only won Blériot a lasting place in history but also assured the future of his aircraft manufacturing business. The event caused a major reappraisal of the importance of aviation; the English newspaper The Daily Express led its story of the flight with the headline “Britain is no longer an Island”.

Source: Bleriot XI on Wiki

The Blériot XI was a light monoplane aircraft produced by the French manufacturer Blériot Aéronautique from 1909 to 1931. It was designed by Louis Blériot and Raymond Saulnier, and became famous for being the first aircraft to cross the English Channel on July 25, 1909. Blériot flew 38 km in 37 minutes at an average speed of 61.6 km/h, winning a £1,000 prize offered by the Daily Mail. This feat was a major milestone in the history of aviation and boosted the popularity of the Blériot XI, which was sold to hundreds of customers in various categories: training, touring, racing and military.
The Blériot XI had a tractor configuration with a partially covered box-girder fuselage made of ash and wire. It used wing warping for lateral control and had a small balanced rudder and a horizontal tailplane with tip elevators. The engine was mounted directly in front of the wing and the main landing gear had castering wheels that could slide up and down steel tubes, allowing for crosswind landings. The Blériot XI was one of the first aircraft to be mass-produced and was widely used for competition and training purposes. Military versions were bought by many countries and served until after the outbreak of World War I in 1914.