986. bleriot XI

Designed by Louis Bleriot and Raymond Saulnier, the Bleriot XI was a light, sleek, and inherently stable monoplane, and was constructed of oak and poplar, with its flying surfaces covered in cloth.

The original aircraft was built in 1908, and made its first public debut at the Paris Air Show in December of that same year.

The Bleriot XI was powered by a R.E.P. engine which spun a 4-blade, paddle-type metal propellor, but this configuration proved unsatisfactory, and a two blade, wooden propellor was added, and produced much better results.

In the spring of 1909, Louis Bleriot decided use a simple 25 horsepower, 3 cylinder Anzani engine, and this change assured Bleriot of a continuously running power source for about one hour.

Bleriot and Saulnier incorporated several new, ground breaking technologies in their aircraft, one of which included castering landing gear, which allowed for crosswind landing.

The Bleriot XI flew to immortality in July of 1909 when Luois Bleriot piloted his bleriot XI across the English Channel from Dover to Calais in 36.5 minutes, establishing a new air endurance record. Upon landing, Bleriot made a rough "pancake" landing, and as a result, the underacarriage collapsed, but Bleriot walked away unscathed and claimed the 1000 pound prize offered by the Daily Mail.

After the famous Channel Crossing, great demand sprung up for the Bleriot XI airplane, and by Spetember 1909, Louis Bleriot recieved orders for 101 aircraft.