The VanDersarl Blériot: a 1911 airplane homebuilt by teenage brothers

Reminded me of this book: https://archive.org/details/borednothingtodo0000spie

And the magnificent movie "Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines" (or How I Flew from London to Paris in 25 Hours 11 Minutes)

Released 1965

> Set in 1910, the film follows a fictitious air race from London to Paris

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Those_Magnificent_Men_in_Their...

Trailer: https://youtu.be/LPlRxXmQ8xM

	▲	gorgoiler an hour ago \| parent [-]
		The Shuttleworth Collection in England has some of the aircraft from that film in flying condition. They also have a working Blériot XI — the world’s oldest flying aircraft: https://www.shuttleworth.org/discover/collection/aircraft/bl... If the weather is good they fly these for the public every summer. It is a wonderful show.

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msuniverse2026 39 minutes ago | parent | prev | next [-]

It is so unfortunate that flying has such a credentialist mafia holding it back from more widespread use. Imagine if motorcycles had even half the regulations to ride as single seater aircraft do. Such a ridiculous state of affairs.

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tene80i 33 minutes ago | parent [-]

You don’t think there are any noteworthy differences between a motorcycle and an aircraft in the sort of damage it can do and where?

	▲	AngryData 19 minutes ago \| parent \| next [-]
		Depends on the aircraft, current ultralights that you don't need to drop $100,000 to get licensed for can only weigh 250 lbs, while motorcycles don't really have a limit and can weight over 1,000 lbs, approaching the weight of a Cessna 152. And when you account for crash scenarios, yeah the rider is at risk in both, but the motorcycle is far more likely to be in and around other people and vehicles during a crash, while a plane is 99% of the time over clear land and even an emergency landing is unlikely to put other people at risk. It ain't a perfect comparison, both have problems, but it is far easier to get a license to drive a truck hauling 20+ tons than to get a license to fly a 500 pound plane, and motorcycle licenses is basically a signature and a couple bucks away.
	▲	msuniverse2026 22 minutes ago \| parent \| prev \| next [-]
		A 200kg Kawasaki H2R can go close to 400kph on a two lane road. It is not going to cause any less damage than a single seater falling out of the sky somewhere randomly.
	▲	fransje26 14 minutes ago \| parent \| prev [-]
		Some people thought there weren't. They are not here to tell their tale anymore.

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jacquesm 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

I'm trying to imagine what a bunch of teenagers could do today to get a similar sense of accomplishment. Note that they weren't even doing particularly well at grade school.

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thechao 2 hours ago | parent [-]

My greatgrandmother (born in 1891) left grade school in 6th grade for similar reasons. The real reason she was taken out was "money". (This was rural Indiana about 1903.) She finished her own education through what you might call a master's program by studying her brothers' texts. It was an unwise person who assume her lack of formal education meant anything about her intelligence or informal education.

	▲	jacquesm 2 hours ago \| parent [-]
		I have a typing diploma and a driving license so I can relate, though I was born a little bit later.

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consumer451 2 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

Here is one in flight, very recently.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XRYdpoOakAY

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jacquesm 2 hours ago | parent | next [-]

What an absolutely amazing sight. That turn at 2:30, it's incredible how small the turning radius is, it's going that slow. I could watch that plane soar all day. Thank you for posting this video.

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consumer451 2 hours ago | parent [-]

Yes, the turning radius is quite something. It appears that the entire vertical stabilizer is a control surface.

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jacquesm an hour ago | parent [-]

Re. your other comment about the cardboard plane: Amazing. When I was 9 or so, my friends and me made an 'airplane' in the attic of the house where we lived. We flew it all over the world looking for treasure ;) It's a good thing we didn't see this video or for sure I wouldn't be writing this. That is absolutely amazing what that guy is doing there and to actually attempt to fly is bravery beyond the call of duty. I really hope he succeeds.

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consumer451 44 minutes ago | parent [-]

Ah cool! I though it might not fit here and did not want to appear to be spamming on this post, so I deleted the comment.

Here is the video in question for anyone curious:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTEYcDU91

	▲	jacquesm 25 minutes ago \| parent [-]
		If that's not in the spirit of HN I don't know what would qualify. He's a little bit mad though :) I'm already antsy with a naked 7" spinning near me and he seems to have four 18" within touching distance.

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sema4hacker 2 hours ago | parent | prev | next [-]

I'm surprised the rear end of the fuselage was an open skeleton instead of being covered like the wings and tail. Wouldn't that significantly interfere with the airflow?

	▲	jacquesm 2 hours ago \| parent [-]
		It does, but this airplane is so light that it would also upset the balance, even a little weight that far back has a huge effect on where the center of mass is.

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ForHackernews 2 hours ago | parent | prev [-]

"The lasting memory is not of flight in the modern sense of acceleration, power and performance. It is of how impossibly slow this aeroplane flies, and how absolutely improbable it is that such a machine can actually levitate above the ground."

https://speedreaders.info/32045-the-vandersarl-bleriot-a-cen...