Louis Bleriot 1872-1936 French and builder of the monoplane in which He was the first to traverse the English Channel in a heavier-than-air aircraft. Fine content A.L.S. "Louis" on his personal "Aeronautical Research" letterhead 1+pp. 4to., Paris, April 7, 1909 Just a few months before his historic flight across the Channel to Dover, Bleriot writes a friend: "...[I] will be in Pau . to examine the location of the grounds and warehouses. i Yesterday and the day before, nothing new. I made some tests in the afternoon, but the engine only worked for two minutes. I am decidedly going to give up the engine...." The race was on to fly across the channel, and Bleriot is hard-pressed to find the right engine for his aircraft. Very good.