Calais, France to Dover, UK
   100-Year Anniversary of Louis Blériot’s Channel Flight

Pascal Kremer stands in front of the full-scale Blériot monoplane that he plans to fly from Calais, France, to Dover, UK, on July 25 to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of French aviator Louis Bleriot’s flight across the English Channel. A 110-hp Rotec 2800 radial engine will power the Blériot.   

                                                

On July 25, 2009, Pascal Kremer plans to replicate French aviator Louis Blériot’s flight across the English Channel by flying a full-scale Blériot monoplane powered by a 110-hp Rotec 2800 radial engine from Calais, France, to Dover, UK. Blériot’s flight on July 25, 1909, took 36.5 minutes; Kremer expects his flight to take about 20 minutes. “I’ll be flying 55 to 60 mph at an altitude between 1,500 and 2,000 feet,” says Kremer, who was at Sun ’n Fun with the full-size Blériot XI replica. “And I’ll need to have a life vest with me.”
     Following original plans, Kremer and Airdrome Aeroplanes’ boss Robert Baslee built the Blériot XI replica with some changes. Instead of oak and poplar construction, Baslee used 6061-T6 aluminum painted to look like wood. The original dimensions were adhered to, and the airfoil shape was modified slightly when the trailing edge was converted to ailerons, says Kremer. The instrument panel also sports a VHF radio and Mode S transponder.
     Kremer, a captain for Luxair airlines, planned to complete flight tests at Holden, Missouri, before shipping the plane to France. “This is a cream come true,” says Kremer who has also created a Website to promote aviation history. 

Info: Pascal Kremer’s Website: www.earlyaviator.org • Airdrome Aeroplanes, 929 NW Road 1571, Holden, MO 64040. Phone: 816.230.8585 • Website: www.airdromeaeroplanes.com .