English Channel is Closed

(7/25/09) On July 25th, Louis Bleriot became the first person to fly across the English Channel. Bleriot thus claimed the prize of 1,000 pounds sterling offered by the Daily Mail. He flew a Type XI Monoplane. The flight took 37 minutes. Bleriot took off from Les Barraques at 4:35AM. Winds pushed him off course; but, flying at a height of over 150 feet, Bleroit managed to follow ships back toward Dover, where he landed.