Photos

To get further into the oldest part of the collection, two views of a replica of a Blériot XI-2, the military, two seater version of the Blériot XI (which is due for tomorrow). The military version was used at the very beginning of WWI, and probably before, since the first crossing of the Channel and allowed Louis Blériot to sell it to several armies.
This one has been given the decoration of Pegoud, a famous French flyer, supposed to be one of the inventors of aerial acrobatics. There is a little more about Pegoud in the note below.
Again:
- a static view during the exhibition in the morning and
- a view of the same on the airfield, in the afternoon, but again the wind prohibited a take-off and landing and there was just a rolling exhibition.

The usual extract from the website:
Blériot XI-2
manufacturer : Blériot
Type : Blériot XI-2 - TWO-SEATER version OF Type XI
engine : ROTARY engine le Rhône - 80HP
status : FLYING (F-AZPG) AND UNDER restOration (F-AZNP)
The Blériot XI-2 was the military two-seater version of the famous Bleriot XI. This aircraft has been built from the original blueprints in 1991 in the workshops of the Amicale Jean-Baptiste Salis. The construction work effort is estimated to 2800 hours.

This Blériot XI-2 wears Adolphe Pegoud color scheme. He is famous for being the first man to loop the loop, with a Bleriot XI. This idea came to him when he bailed out from an Bleriot aircraft to test a parachute. The aircraft continued to fly and was doing loops without its pilot, beofre crashing down. A short time after this experience, Pegoud successfully tried the loop with an other Bleriot XI.
Registration : F-AZPG

There is a second replica of the Bleriot XI-2 in the museum of AJBS. This one has been realised by the Memorial Flight association, and is currently under restoration in the association workshop at Dugny (Le Bourget airport).

A very nice week end to all, and the Blériot XI for tomorrow.

PS Elements 5.0