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Movie   (Up to OJB's Warbirds 2000 Page)

Bleriot XI

The Bleriot XI is the oldest aircraft I have seen flown at an air show. It Is most famous for completing the first flight across the English Channel on 25 July 1909. The Bleriot flown at the show was built In 1918 and rebuilt in the early 1990s.

Steering is through an interesting arrangement involving warping the wings (similar to the Wright Brothers' system) and the speed of the engine is controlled by flicking a switch which briefly stops the engine (it runs at one speed only).

Bleriot

The engine is a Gnome Rotary producing 50 hp which gives a top speed of 42 knots - I guess it must be one of the slowest and least powerful aircraft I have seen as well, an interesting comparison flying after the A4 which flies 10 to 20 times faster!

Bleriot Movie

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