Bleriot XI 1909 — Channel-Crossing Monoplane Plans Bundle

The aircraft that crossed the Channel

On July 25, 1909, Louis Bleriot flew his Type XI monoplane from Calais to Dover — the first powered flight across the English Channel. The Bleriot XI is the prototype for the entire single-engine tractor monoplane lineage. With a wing-warping control system and a 25-hp Anzani three-cylinder fan engine, it defined an era.

What’s included

This bundle gathers three independent builder documents for the Bleriot XI from authoritative aviation-heritage hosts:

1. “Bleriot XI: A Study in Aerodynamics” (Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome) — historical aerodynamic analysis of the original design, useful for builders verifying replica geometry
2. Airdrome Aeroplanes full-scale replica brochure — design documentation for Airdrome’s flying Bleriot XI kit, with materials, build sequence and specifications
3. “Building a 1909 Bleriot FF” (Long Island Silent Flyers) — detailed free-flight scale build article with extensive reference photographs, drawings and construction notes that translate readily to larger scales

Design specifications

• Wingspan: 25 ft 7 in (7.8 m)
• Length: 26 ft 3 in (8.0 m)
• Empty weight: 510 lb (231 kg)
• Powerplant: Anzani 3-cylinder fan, 25 hp (modern replicas often use Continental A-65 or A-75)
• Cruise: ~47 mph
• Construction: Ash and poplar frame, fabric covered, exposed wire bracing — wing warp control, no ailerons

Who this is for

Amateur builders pursuing a pioneer-era flying replica, aviation history enthusiasts, museum reproduction projects, and scale modellers working at large scales. The Long Island Silent Flyers document is particularly useful as it provides the kind of step-by-step build narrative that the Airdrome brochure intentionally omits.

About these documents

The Bleriot XI is universally public domain (1909 design). All three PDFs are publicly hosted by their respective aviation-heritage organisations (oldrhinebeck.org, airdromeaeroplanes.com, longislandsilentflyers.org) as builder reference and educational materials.

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