January 13, 2013 at 10:42 pm
Watching ‘Mr Selfridge’ and it’s just shown the arrival of Bleriot on his cross-channel flight. Didn’t notice whether the airborne Bleriot and the static one on the ground, but I didn’t recognise it before – seemed to be a later Bleriot than 1909 with more of a visible engine frame in front of the engine, I haven’t seen one like it in the UK before, possibly a French example?
By: andrewd - 15th January 2013 at 18:57
Bleriot in “Mr Selfridge”
The upright stance of the TV ‘plane on the ground after the depicted landing at Dover did not match contemporary photographs. Bleriot’s actual landing was quite “heavy”, with some damage, including a broken propeller.
The rest of the original ‘plane may be in Paris, but the piece of propeller is in the UK, as part of the Royal Aero Club Collection.
By: David Burke - 14th January 2013 at 14:22
The machine used for the recreation of the flight with help from Skysport was a genuine example.
By: Rlangham - 14th January 2013 at 13:26
Thanks for the replies and photos – I think it was the same Bleriot used in both shots, the Brooklands one doesn’t have the external engine framing at the front;
By: The Blue Max - 14th January 2013 at 12:30
The flying one looked like Carlson’s, the static look to me like the Brooklands Mike Beech built one ????
By: Bruce - 14th January 2013 at 09:42
There were two in the store in 1989 as well – I worked there at the time. One was the Skysport recreation that crashed in the channel, displayed as recovered.
By: paul178 - 14th January 2013 at 07:10
Would the plebs watching notice the differences:p:p:p
Who are you calling a pleb, nitpicker? 99.9% of the population including me are not experts or rivit counters on 100+ year old aircraft or their replicas:p
By: A225HVY - 14th January 2013 at 00:19
Would the plebs watching notice the differences:p:p:p
By: Robbo - 13th January 2013 at 23:11
Here’s Mikael Carlson’s Bleriot at Selfridges following his cross channel flight for the centenary in 2009.

Mikael Carlson’s Bleriot XI at Selfridges by shuttleworthpix, on Flickr

Mikael Carlson’s Bleriot XI at Selfridges by shuttleworthpix, on Flickr
By: Rlangham - 13th January 2013 at 22:47
Also shown in the recreated Selfridge store – couple of shots showing it here – http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2013-01-11/mr-selfridge-episode-two-preview-pictures-and-predictions