The Blériot Type XI was designed primarily by Raymond Saulnier,
but it was a natural evolution from earlier Blériot aircraft,
and one to which Louis Blériot himself made substantial
contributions. Blériot achieved immortality in the Type XI on
July 25, 1909, when he made the first airplane crossing of the
English Channel, covering the 40 km (25 mi) between Calais and
Dover in 36 minutes, 30 seconds. The Blériot XI in the NASM
collection was manufactured in 1914 and was powered by a
50-horsepower Gnôme rotary engine. The airplane was purchased by
the Swiss aviator John Domenjoz, a Blériot company flight
instructor. Domenjoz earned a reputation as one of the era's
most celebrated stunt pilots, performing in major European
cities and in North and South America through 1916, at which
time he returned to France. Following wartime service as a
civilian flight instructor both in France and the United States,
Domenjoz made one final barnstorming tour with his Blériot in
1919. Purchase from Roosevelt Field, Inc. Count