East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1909-08-05
AER0NAUT TELLS
OF FAMED FLIGHT
BLERIOT DESCRIBES TRIP
ACROSS ENGLISH CHANNEL
Daring French Aviator Says he viii
Someday Double His Feat-Says he
Could Easily Have Made the Trip
Back Without Landing-Intcrview
BY New York Paper.

The New York World on July 26,
printed an Interview with Louis Bier
iot, the daring Frenchman, who was
first to fly across the English chan
mel and whom the MANAGEMENT of the
A. Y. P. exposition has invited to
compete in Seattle with the Wright
brothers for a purse of $4,000. In
a copyrighted interview NJ. Bleriot
gives a vivid description of his fa-
nous flight. which has agitated Eng
land with a new war scare.
Discussing the trip NJ Bleriot is
quoted as follows: -.
Start in Early Morning.
81 had decided to attempt the
flight at the earliest opportunity that
offered. My past experience had
been that the early morning was the
best time, as the wind was steadiest
then.
"I got up at 2:SO this morning in
order to be ready, though I was not
feeling very WELL my foot being very
painful I motored from Calais to
Les Baraques with a friend, NJ Le-
blanc, to see that everything was in
readiness with the monoplane.
"As the wind kept steapdy had the
monoplane taken out of its tempo
rary garage and on to the plain of
Les Baraques, where, at $3.50, made
a short trial flight. The monoplane
flew perfectly. so made up my mind
to start at sunrise.
"At 4:30 a. m. gave the mechan-
les the word to let go, and began the
ascent To be certain of clearing the
telegraph wires l started inland. Af-
ter circling over the plain l steered
the machine straight across the sand
dunes.
81 could see the destroyer Escopette
a few miles out at sea, and as she put
on full steam for Dover 1 followed,
quickly caught up and passed her. I
was travelling about forty-five miles
an hour, the revolutions of the pro-
peller being about twelve to fourteen
hundred a minute.
while travelling over the Channel
the monoplane was at a height of
about $50 feet At times she dipped
a little. but 1 pumped in more pc
troll and worked the raising apparatus
in order to keep up to that height as
suitable for landing at the point on the
cliffs which had been selected. There
would have been no difficulty in soar
ing to double that height.
The Critical Moment.
For ten minutes after l passed the
destroyer, 1 was able by looking back
to steer my course by her direction.
I lost sight of her and the English
land was not yet in view. l decided
that the best thing to do was to set
my steering gear for the point for
ward which I had last seen the Esco-
petite heading. This done the flight
continued about ten minutes with
nothing in sight but the sea and the
sky.
1T was the most anxious part of
the journey, as had no certainty that
my direction was correct. But I never
had any fear of the machine, which
was travelling beautifully.
"At last / sighted land, but I was
then going in the direction of the Ad-
miralty pier. In setting my course by
the destroyer l had overlooked the
effect Of the wind, which was blowing
freshly from the southwest and had
therefore deflected me eastward. l
could have landed at Deal, but had
made up my mind to come to Dover,
Sc I headed the monoplane westward,
following the coast about a mile out
to sea. l saw fleet of batleships in
Dover harbor and flew over them to
a point where l could see NJ. Fontaine
with the French tricolor. 1 went in
over the cliffs all right, but the de-
scent was one Of the most difficult
ever made.
when I got into the valley between |
Dover Castle and the opposite hill