VanDersarl Bleriot
The VanDersarl Blériot is a rare surviving example of a pre-WWI airplane built by private individuals, with their own resources and ingenuity. After Louis Blériot’s world-captivating crossing of the English Channel in July 1909, his “Type XI” monoplane became instantly popular, and he began manufacturing the design for sale. Jules and Frank VanDersarl, of Denver, Colorado, were fascinated by flight since boyhood and wanted to learn to fly. Unable to afford an airplane, they decided to build their own. With the success of Louis Blériot’s English Channel flight, Jules and Frank began construction of their own version of Blériot’s newly famous design.
Just teenagers when they began in 1909, over two years the brothers built their Blériot from scratch, including the engine. In June 1911 the airplane was complete and the brothers successfully flew their Blériot, with no prior flight instruction. It was an extraordinary achievement for two teenagers with no training or experience with airplanes.
The original engine the VanDersarl brothers built does not survive. The engine on the airplane is a modern, working reproduction, built just from photographs of the original, by Chuck Wentworth and Rich Galli. The restored VanDersarl Blériot was flown by Javier Arango in 2012, 101 years after it first took to the air.
Display Status
This object is on display in Pre-1920 Aviation at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, VA.
