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Louis Blériot
August Louis Bleriot
Nationality: French
Place of Birth: Cambrai, France
Date of Birth: July 1, 1872
Date of Death: August 2, 1936August Louis Blériot
graduated from Ecole Centrale Paris with a degree in Arts and Trades.
After graduating Blériot went into business manufacturing automobile
headlamps. His lifelong love of aviation began at age 30 when he
taught himself to fly, in an aircraft of his own design. His skills as
a pilot and designer improved by trial and error. He made his first
flight in 1907 at Bagatelle, France. In two years his aviation company
was producing aircraft known for their quality and performance.
Louis Blériot became famous for being the first to fly an aircraft
across the English Channel. On July 25, 1909, in his Model X 125
horsepower monoplane from Les Barraques, France to Dover, England.
This 22 miles, 40 minute flight won for him the much sought after
London Daily Mail prize of 1000 pounds sterling.
In the 1914-1918 War his company produced the famous S.P.A.D.
fighter aircraft flown by all the Allied Nations. His skill and
ingenuity contributed to the advance of aviation technology in his
time, and popularized aviation as a sport. He remained active in the
aviation industry until his death on August 2, 1936. |
