This was followed by the Blériot VI, a tandem wing design, first tested on 7 July, when the aircraft failed to take off. Blériot then widened the wings slightly, and a short successful flight of around 25–30 metres (84–100 ft) was made on 11 July, reaching an altitude of around 2 m (7 ft). This was Blériot's first truly successful flight. Further successful flightsok place iraq email list that month, and by 25 July it had achieved a flight of 150 m (490 ft). On 6 August it managed to reach an altitude of 12 m (39 ft), but one of the propeller blades came loose, resulting in a heavy landing which damaged the aircraft. It then mounted a 37 kW (50 hp) V-16 Antoinette engine. Tests on 17 September showed a surprising improvement in performance: the aircraft quickly reached an altitude of 25 m (82 ft), when the engine suddenly cut out and the aircraft . In desperation, Blériot left his seat and dived for the tail. The aircraft partially pulled out of the dive, and came to earth in a more or less horizontal attitude. His only injuries were some minor cuts to the face, caused by shards of glass from his broken goggles. After this accident, Blériot abandoned the aircraft, concentrating on his next machine.
This, the Blériot VII, was a monoplane with tail surfaces arranged in what has become, apart from its use of differential elevator movement for lateral control, the modern conventional layout. This aircraft, which first flew on 16 November 1907, has been credited as the first successful monoplane. On 6 December Blériot made two flights of over 500 metres, including a successful U-turn. This was the most impressive achievement to date by any of the pioneering French aviators, prompting Patrick Alexander to write to Major Baden Baden-Powell, president of the Royal Aeronautical Society, 'I returned from Paris last night. I think Blériot with his new machine is leading the way.' Two more successful flights were made on 18 December, but the undercarriage collapsed after the second flight; the aircraft rolled over and wrecked.These examples have been selected automatically and may contain sensitive content. Read more
