Some photos of the Louis Bleriot memorial marking the spot where he landed in Northfall Meadow (Dover) after crossing the Channel on July 25th, 1909:
John Latter
A photograph of Louis Blériot’s aeroplane after an accident at the Reims Air Meet, France, held between August 22 – 29, 1909:
The event took place a month after Bleriot’s historic first flight across the English Channel on Bétheny Plain, just outside of Reims (aka Rheims) – does anyone know the map co-ordinates? I can find Reims ok but not Betheny Plain!
John Latter
Bleriot did not crash at Reims in 1909 hence the unusual engine in the photo was not fitted to a Bleriot IX which he raced in the Gordon Bennett event held at Reims. Five aircraft were in a crashed condition on the landing ground during the events, one reason why American Glenn Curtiss only flew in the air race which he won by four seconds from Bleriot. No Bleriot 12 is shewn in my records but there is a Bleriot IX-2 which flew in 1910. Mistakes were made in the early reporting of aircraft events just as they are today!
Ray
Maybe the author of the US Centennial of Flight Commision article went from ‘accident’ to ‘crash’ without thinking about it – there doesn’t seem to be much easily accessible info around. Prior to reading “Louis Blériot – Developer of Commercial and Military Aircraft“, I had to put some effort into not making the same mistake myself!
When you say “Bleriot IX” and Bleriot IX-2″, do you mean Bleriot XI?
John Latter
From this 
..to this 
– What went wrong? 
From looking at the photo the wreck looks pretty mangled and probably some of it consumed by a subsequent fire?
Also the engine looks interesting with four in line heads visible?
Anyone know what type of Bleriot it was and what the engine was?. I seem to remember reading a problem with Bleriots (and other types) was putting larger engines in without strengthening the airframe.
Roger Smith.
The only info I’ve found so far is from Louis Blériot – Developer of Commercial and Military Aircraft which says:
Developed soon after the first Blériot XI, the Blériot XII first flew on May 21, 1909, at Issy. It could carry a passenger as well as a pilot and was the first aircraft to carry three people. The plane crashed at Reims on August 29, 1909.
John Latter
Ghost 1: 
Ghost 2: 
Spooky! 
What happened to him? Did he survive the accident.
Big hole in knowledge…requires wikipedia
Jay
He survived the accident OK and died on the 2nd of August 1936, aged 64.
The Wikipedia page on Bleriot says:
After [crossing the Channel], Blériot became a successful businessman, with his Société Pour Aviation et ses Derives (better known as SPAD) manufacturing thousands of Allied planes in World War I.*
*Including the SPAD S.XIII
John Latter
I visit Reims a lot. I will ask around at Reims Aviation if anyone knows anything.
That would be great – thank you!
The only other info I’ve been able to dig up so far is that it was a 3 mile walk from the railway station to the air show. This is consistent with Moggy’s suggestion – providing I’ve identified the station correctly, that is.. :confused:
John Latter
Underground Drawbridge, and: 
Nearby Cave-In
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