Aces High Bulletin Board

General Forums => The O' Club => Topic started by: Anaxogoras on July 25, 2009, 08:42:06 AM

Title: 100 years ago today
Post by: Anaxogoras on July 25, 2009, 08:42:06 AM

Louis Bleriot crossed the English Channel in his monoplane!  He broke his undercarriage and busted his prop on the landing, but made it through some bad weather and the notorious reliability problems of early aircraft engines.

(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/Louis_Bleriot.jpg)
(http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a6/Avion_Bleriot_XI_1909.jpg/800px-Avion_Bleriot_XI_1909.jpg)

Title: Re: 100 years ago today
Post by: Masherbrum on July 25, 2009, 10:32:47 AM

 :salute

Title: Re: 100 years ago today
Post by: Shuffler on July 25, 2009, 10:53:49 AM

Amazingly brave and adventurous souls in our past.

Title: Re: 100 years ago today
Post by: PFactorDave on July 25, 2009, 10:56:58 AM

I wonder if he used his moustache as a control surface.  Ailerons perhaps.   :D

Title: Re: 100 years ago today
Post by: Xasthur on July 26, 2009, 05:11:51 AM

Quote from: PFactorDave on July 25, 2009, 10:56:58 AM

I wonder if he used his moustache as a control surface.  Ailerons perhaps.   :D

I was going to say a deployable speed brake.... but I'm not sure that excessive speed would have been a serious problem.  :lol

Title: Re: 100 years ago today
Post by: Larry on July 26, 2009, 05:58:18 AM

Quote from: Anaxogoras on July 25, 2009, 08:42:06 AM

and busted his prop on the landing,

Good thing he had a replacement on his upper lip.  :)




But really, great achievement that took some balls. :salute

Title: Re: 100 years ago today
Post by: Getback on July 26, 2009, 02:38:24 PM

Quote from: Larry on July 26, 2009, 05:58:18 AM

But really, great achievement that took some balls. :salute

That's what I was thinking!

Title: Re: 100 years ago today
Post by: TonyJoey on July 26, 2009, 05:16:58 PM

Great achievement! :aok  :salute

Title: Re: 100 years ago today
Post by: CyranoAH on July 27, 2009, 06:17:55 AM

And he did it in a Blériot XI. You can imagine what happened to the previous 10 models :D

Here's one of them in a recent airshow:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w_OiTTfXjlg

Daniel