Bleriot VIII
So imagine you have a toy airplane, but instead of just flying it around your bedroom, you want to be able to go really far in it, like all the way across a big ocean! That's what Louis Bleriot wanted to do back in 1909.
So he came up with a special kind of airplane called the Bleriot VIII. It was kind of like a big bird with wings, tail feathers, and a body that he could sit inside. Instead of pedaling it like a bike or pushing it like a scooter, the Bleriot VIII had a big engine with a propeller that spun around and made it go really fast!
But flying across an ocean isn't just about going fast, it's also about staying up in the air for a long time. So Bleriot made the airplane really light by using very lightweight wood and a special cloth covering for the wings, instead of heavy metal like other airplanes.
Finally, on July 25, 1909, Louis Bleriot got into his Bleriot VIII and took off from France. He flew for a long, long time and then finally landed in England! People were so amazed that he had flown all the way across the English Channel in his little airplane. It was a huge achievement in flight history and helped inspire many other people to try their own daring flights!
So he came up with a special kind of airplane called the Bleriot VIII. It was kind of like a big bird with wings, tail feathers, and a body that he could sit inside. Instead of pedaling it like a bike or pushing it like a scooter, the Bleriot VIII had a big engine with a propeller that spun around and made it go really fast!
But flying across an ocean isn't just about going fast, it's also about staying up in the air for a long time. So Bleriot made the airplane really light by using very lightweight wood and a special cloth covering for the wings, instead of heavy metal like other airplanes.
Finally, on July 25, 1909, Louis Bleriot got into his Bleriot VIII and took off from France. He flew for a long, long time and then finally landed in England! People were so amazed that he had flown all the way across the English Channel in his little airplane. It was a huge achievement in flight history and helped inspire many other people to try their own daring flights!