In which year did Louis Bleriot make the first powered flight across the English Channel?
Airdrome Bleriot Model XI had been completed by December 2011. Airdrome Bleriot Model XI The Airdrome Bleriot Model XI, also referred to as the Airdrome Bleriot XI, is an American amateur-built aircraft, designed and produced by Airdrome Aeroplanes, of Holden, Missouri. The aircraft is supplied as a kit for amateur construction. The aircraft is available as a full-scale or 3/4 replica of the French Blériot XI 1909 pioneer aircraft that was designed by Louis Blériot and used to fly across the English Channel on 25 July 1909. The replica is built from modern materials and powered by modern engines. The Airdrome Bleriot Model XI
Claims to the first powered flight a steam-powered aeroplane which took off from a ramp with a sailor on board and remained airborne for a short distance. This has sometimes been claimed as the first powered flight in history but the claim is generally rejected because takeoff was gravity-assisted and flight was not sustained. It is however credited as the first powered take-off in history. Ten years later in 1884 the Russian Alexander Mozhaysky achieved similar success, launching his craft from a ramp and remaining airborne for 30 m (98 ft). The claim that this was a sustained flight has not been taken seriously outside Russia.