Pilots Re-enact First Powered Flight Over Channel

PARIS — Three pilots successfully re-enacted the first powered flight over the English Channel over the weekend, marking the centennial of the historic crossing by the Frenchman Louis Bleriot in 1909.

Edmond Salis of France took off Saturday morning in his 1919 wood-and-canvas replica of the original plane, the Bleriot XI, under clear skies but amid heavy crosswinds, from an airport just outside Calais, France. He arrived 40 minutes later in the same field in Dover, England, where Mr. Bleriot landed on July 25, 1909.

Several hundred people, some in period costumes, were on hand in Calais to see Mr. Salis off, while a commemoration ceremony was held in Dover at Mr. Bleriot’s original landing site. A handful of helicopters tracked his progress across the water.

“I was a bit apprehensive in the beginning because the conditions were a bit delicate,” said Mr. Salis, 40, who is the son of a French World War I fighter ace, Jean-Baptiste Salis. “But once I got above the turbulence and could see the English coast, I relaxed, and it was an emotional moment for me.”

Soon after Mr. Salis’s flight, another member of his team crossed in a restored, two-seater replica of the plane built in 1934.

Weather conditions worsened later in the day, forcing three other pilots to abort their planned crossings on Saturday.

Mikael Carlson of Sweden made a second attempt early Sunday, successfully crossing the Channel in his 1910 vintage Bleriot XI, making the trip in 33 minutes.

Original article posted here.