Pioneer Pilots

更新：2023-11-22

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[00:01.44]Lesson 20
[00:03.16]Pioneer pilots
[00:11.50]What was the name of the first plane to fly across the English Channel?
[00:18.32]In 1908 Lord Northcliffe offered a prize of ￡1,000 to the first man who would fly across the English Channel.
[00:28.28]Over a year passed before the first attempt was made.
[00:32.53]On July 19th, 1909, in the early morning,
[00:37.69]Hubert Latham took off from the French coast in his plane the 'Antoinette IV.'
[00:43.62]He had travelled only seven miles across the Channel when his engine failed and he was forced to land on the sea.
[00:50.95]The 'Antoinette' floated on the water until Latham was picked up by a ship.
[00:56.68]Two days later, Louis Bleriot arrived near Calais with a plane called 'No.XI'.
[01:03.82]Bleriot had been making planes since 1905 and this was his latest model.
[01:10.69]A week before, he had completed a successful overland flight during which he covered twenty-six miles.
[01:18.31]Latham, however, did not give up easily.
[01:21.53]He, too, arrived near Calais on the same day with a new 'Antoinette'.
[01:27.30]It looked as if there would be an exciting race across the Channel.
[01:31.86]Both planes were going to take off on July 25th,but Latham failed to get up early enough.
[01:39.28]After making a short test flight at 4.15 a.m., Bleriot set off half an hour later.
[01:46.49]His great flight lasted thirty-seven minutes.
[01:50.42]When he landed near Dover, the first person to greet him was a local policeman.
[01:56.10]Latham made another attempt a week later and got within half a mile of Dover,
[02:01.34]but he was unlucky again.
[02:03.83]His engine failed and he landed on the sea for the second time.