On July 25th, 1909, Frenchman Louis Blériot flew across the English Channel for the first time, crash-landing in the grounds of Dover Castle.
His aircraft, a Blériot Model XI, is today preserved in the Musée des Arts et Métiers in Paris, France.
Today, exactly one hundred years after Blériot’s historic flight, another Frenchman, Edmond Salis, re-enacted his feat in an authentic, restored Blériot XI, landing at the Duke of York’s Military School near Dover Castle. He is shown below approaching Dover Castle. He was accompanied by a modern replica two-seat version of the Blériot XI.
Three other Blériot XI aircraft, including Louis Blériot’s own original plane, were to have followed later in the day, but French authorities decided it had become too windy for them to depart (to the fury of the pilots).
Here’s video footage of M. Salis departing from France this morning, accompanied by the replica aircraft.
I’m still amazed to think of the courage of those early aviators, heading off into the blue with aircraft that were almost guaranteed to suffer breakage or breakdown every hour or two! Blériot’s flight was a magnificent achievement for its day, and to repeat it today in the same type of aircraft, with the same less-than-reliable engine, is pretty courageous too.
Kudos and congratulations to all concerned.
Peter