• Wood and fabric Bleriot XI aircraft in museum
    Download Image
    The Blériot Type XI was designed primarily by Raymond Saulnier, but it was a natural evolution from earlier Blériot aircraft, and one to which Louis Blériot himself made substantial contributions. Blériot achieved immortality in the Type XI on July 25, 1909, when he made the first airplane crossing of the English Channel, covering the 40 km (25 mi) between Calais and Dover in 36 minutes, 30 seconds.

Created by

Eric Long

Date Created

06/13/2016

Source

Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum

Keywords

Aircraft; Aviation; Inventors; People; Pre-WWI; Private; Records & Firsts

Rights and Restrictions

CC0
For more information, visit the Smithsonian’s Terms of Use.