Bleriot XI of 1909, photographed
in the UK in 2001.

Louis Blériot (July 1, 1872 in Cambrai - August 2, 1936 in Paris) was a French aviation pioneer. On July 25, 1909, he became the first person to fly over the English Channel in a heavier-than-air aircraft. The airplane used was one of his own design, designated the Bleriot XI, of which copies were also manufactured in Stockholm, Sweden, called Thulin A. His flight was from Calais to Dover and lasted 37 minutes.

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