Dover District Council, with Cresting Ltd, the organisers of Dover 2009, has announced the line up for their weekend of celebration at a launch at the Duke of York’s Royal Military School in Dover.

Among the key events of the weekend of celebrations are:

• An Air Pageant, with full supporting programme, and highlights including:
  • A historic re-enactment by Blériot XI aeroplanes
  • An Air Race being organised by the Royal Aero Club
  • A flypast by the RAF Aerobatic Team, the Red Arrows
• The transformation of Dover’s historic seafront with British, Anglo-French and Anglo-Italian themed events running throughout the weekend, with entertainments and artistes reflecting in particular the period of La Belle Epoch and Edwardian England
• A programme of musical entertainment, including the Royal Air Force Halton Area Band
• A series of static and air displays of historic and vintage aeroplanes, hosted at the Duke of York’s Royal Military School in Dover
• A Fireworks Spectacular across Dover Harbour which the whole town will be able to view.

The anniversary of Louis Blériot’s historic flight across the English Channel is also being marked with a new sheet of collectable Royal Mail Stamp Sheets and a set of Commemorative Covers – The Blériot Collection.

Cllr Bernard Butcher, Chairman of Dover District Council, said:

“This is a fantastic event for Dover. The celebrations on 25 and 26 July will be an amazing experience for the thousands of people expected to attend and especially for the people of Dover. It is an event that commemorates a momentous occasion in the past, and by celebrating its centenary we are marking out the achievement of Louis Bleriot to future generations and keeping the story of his triumph alive.

“This event marks not just a key moment for air travel and engineering achievement, but a key moment in Anglo-French relations, as it removed the perception of the UK’s isolation from Europe. The 2009 celebrations promise to be a superb occasion, and a fitting tribute to a man whose triumph not only marked a new chapter in aviation history, but in Anglo-European relations as well.”

Air Chief Marshal Sir Glenn Torpy, Chief of the Air Staff, said:

“The RAF is delighted to be able to support this event, which marks a milestone in aviation history.  Notwithstanding the huge technological changes that we have seen over the past 100 years, the spirit of Blériot and other aviation enthusiasts lives on today in the modern Royal Air Force.  We salute these pioneers.”

Further information about the celebrations can be found on the Dover 2009 website (www.Dover2009.com) which will also feature further details of additional events as they are confirmed over the coming weeks.

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The feat of crossing the sleeve is for Quimby to achieve, but she is afraid that somebody do it before the exploit. It is therefore a party secretly in March 1912 for England, has borrowed a monoplane 50 HP Louis Blériot, who was the first person to cross the English Channel in 1909.

Quimby left for England in March 1912, and to pursue its main objective aviation and becoming the first woman to cross the English Channel. Although Louis Blériot flew the English Channel in July 1909, no woman has ever accomplished the feat.

Blériot, intrigued by the objective of Quimby, his expedition to one of his Blériot monoplanes of 50 horses (37 kW), a single seat aircraft for Blériot vol.A hand and a few others, nobody knew the plan Quimby.

On 16 April 1912, Quimby took off from Dover, England, en route to Calais, France. Flying at altitudes between 1000 and 2000 feet (305 and 610 meters), Quimby followed its path through the fog and made the flight in 59 minutes, having derived some of the planned landing about 25 miles ( 40 km) from Calais on a beach in Hardelot, France.

Harriet Quimby became the first licensed female aviator in the United States on 11 August 1911.

She wanted to keep secret because she feared that another woman can try to do it before the flight. She also feared that people can try to stop it because of the risks involved, especially the unpredictable weather.

Gustav Hamel, one of the friends of Quimby was one of the people who tried to stop it. With the best of intentions, Hamel offered to hide with a purple dress and the flight for her. He suggested that she could hide in a remote area in France and quickly reach the scene of the landing, but Quimby has refused the offer.

Very few people have learned of his feat, though, because of the bad press it receives. The Titanic sank only two days before and was still the main news of the day.

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In 1900, Louis Blériot decided to study and learn all the theories. He drew his own conclusions and decided to build these models on its own assumptions. In 1906, he founded his own team and miscellaneous equipment, try it himself with many accidents. With the help of a young engineer Raymond Saulnier, he directed the single Blériot XI.

On this device, on 25 July 1909, Blériot took off near Calais, at 4 am for crossing the English Channel. He joined Dover in England after 37 minutes of flight and about 38 Km This success earned him multiple orders from around the world which will ensure the future of the firm. Blériot continually drive itself at the end of 1909 to devote himself to the company Blériot Aéronautique,

In 1914, Louis Blériot acquires Devices Deperdussin “SPAD. Many factories had come Blériot SPAD. In July 1936 the health of Louis Blériot deteriorate and he died on 1st August 1936 of a heart attack.

Note that the first pilot’s license issued by the Aero Club of France in 1910, was given Blériot, not for his exploits, but simply he was the first alphabetically.

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