Rare flight of 1909 Bleriot at Pioneer Flight Museum, Kingsbury Texas (Museum Replica)

Rare flight of this unforgiving and marginally controllable old plane. This is a replica of the Louis Bleriot plane that was the first to cross the English Channel (just barely). It uses wing warping instead of ailerons.

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• antique aircraft
• Bleriot
• pioneer flight
• museum airplane
• French aircraft
• English Channel
• aeronaught
• flying machine
• wing warping

[vintagepropnut]

The flight was made without any advanced warning, so we had to improvise quickly. I got these pictures from the bed of a bouncing pickup truck as we raced the plane down the "runway." I have tried to find anyone who might gotten video, but no luck yet.

[vintagepropnut]

The engine is a 70 hp Continental GPU. The extra power seems to be dissipated by the high drag airframe. Circuits have been made, but it is such a marginally controllable aircraft that straight hops are the norm. Wing warping is very ineffective and causes adverse yaw. It is safer to make uncoordinated, skidding turns using rudder.

[toadabc]

With all the effort to build, it would have been nice to have a few seconds of cell phone movie

[legomaster335]

isnt the wright flyer the worlds oldets plane lol?

[stinkingdog101]

Looks like it could use a bit more vertical stabilizer

[rcaddict72]

nice post VPN.

[JU8788]

Engine type, please? And is it just hopped, or a curcuit made?