On the 25th of July, 1909, the Bleriot Monoplane made history. On his first attempt, Louis Bleriot flew his Monoplane from Calais to Dover and therefore was the first aviator to fly an airplane across the English Channel. This little 25 hp Anzani-powered monoplane went on to become one of the most heavily produced of the early pioneer era airplanes, and it set many records.

The airplane was controlled by wing warping and was one of the faster of the early types, with a speed of 47 mph. With a span of less than 27 feet, and a gross weight of only about 660 pounds, the little Bleriot was used for many "firsts", and was copied all over the world, both with and without permission. There are some surviving examples of the Bleriot still flying, but most that are seen at public events are replicas. Both the oldest flying original airplanes in England and in the U.S. are Bleriots.

Frenchman Louis Blériot had been intrigued by the possibility of flight ever since he attended a 1900 Paris Exhibition featuring experimental flying machines. Over the next few years, Blériot - who had amassed a small fortune manufacturing automobile lights - would spend all his money in his own quest to fly.

Unlike the Wright Brothers and other aviation contemporaries, Blériot didn't take a systematic approach to his flight attempts. Filled with boundless enthusiasm, Blériot spontaneously leaped from one experiment to the next without much planning - or concern for his own safety. Blériot always tested his own planes personally, and his attempts, almost always, ended in crashes.

Over the course of eight years, Blériot built ten planes - all failures. In 1908, when the London Daily Mail offered a cash prize for the first person to cross the English Channel, Blériot was bankrupt, having even spent the last of his wife's inheritance on his passion for flying. As luck would have it, Blériot wife happened to rescue a boy from falling off the balcony of a Paris apartment building. The young boy's appreciative father offered to fund Blériot latest experiment, the Blériot XI.

Bleriot XI:
The Blériot XI relied on its 25-horsepower Anzani engine to power its 22-mile journey. Blériot collaborated with designer Raymond Saulnier on the plane's construction. As a monoplane, the Blériot XI stood in stark contrast to its more common biplane contemporaries. Its single-wing design reduced drag and weight, enabling the plane greater speed and maneuverability.

Lateral balance was aided by the plane's wing warping mechanism - derived from the Wright Flyer. The Blériot XI made its maiden flight on January 23, 1909. Over the course of the next several months, Blériot worked to improve the plane's performance. He made several modifications, including the addition of a 25-horsepower Anzani engine. Although the engine was rudimentary, it was known to be dependable - crucial if Blériot was to achieve his goal of crossing the English Channel.

In the early morning of July 25, 1909, Blériot set out across the Channel. Without any navigational instruments, Blériot somehow managed to make his way from Calais to Dover in just over 36 minutes. He spotted a French reporter who had promised to identify a suitable landing area by waving a large French flag. Sixty feet off the ground, Blériot thrust the plane down for a hard landing. Emerging from the wreckage, Blériot's only injury was a burned foot that had been sustained days earlier. Instantly, Blériot and his plane received worldwide acclaim.

Soon Blériot opened a factory to produce copies of the Blériot XI. Hundreds of orders came streaming in from around the world. Some of the best known-aviators of the time flew Blériot's planes, including Harriet Quimby who would cross the English Channel three years after Blériot. The Blériot XI's single pair of wings would serve as the new model from which future planes were derived.

Built and then flown over the English Channel in 1911 by Louis Bleriot. This monumental feat won Louie many orders for his'flying machine which was looked upon as 'state of the art' until and just after the onset of the 'Great War 1914-1917.