Wylam Plans
Bleriot XI
Louis Bleriot's 22-mile flight across the English Channel in 1909. With this amazing feat, the French pioneer created a worldwide sensation and focused the attention of all civilization on the potential use of the airplane as a transportation vehicle. The Bleriot XI was small and weighed only 660 pounds. Power was a three-cylinder Y-type Anzani air-cooled engine
that developed about 20 hp. The airframe
was wood, with rubberized fabric covering. Sparked by an award of $5,000 by the London Daily Mail for the first flight across the Channel, Bleriot was challenged for the award by Hubert Latham, a famous record-smashing pilot of that period. On Sunday, July 25, 1909, Louis Bleriot landed his plane near Dover Castle, England, after crossing the Channel in less than one hour, a feat which garnered him over $15,000 in prize money.
Many variants of the XI design were built by the Bleriot firm, including parasols
and two-seaters. The photograph and Wylam's drawing show the aircraft Bleriot used to fly the Channel. Note the
inflated bladder inside the fuselage. Many Bleriot XIs are still around, in
museums or privately owned. |
An extremely rare photograph, this shot taken as Bleriot
commenced his journey into history crossing the
