NOVA | A Daring Flight

A Daring Flight: In 1909, Louis Blériot undertakes a heroic first-ever flight across the English Channel.

A Soaring Obsession
Louis Blériot reflects on his grandfather's legacy, his nagging dream to cross the Channel, and more.

Queen of the Channel Crossing
Harriet Quimby was the first woman to fly the Channel solo—and that's almost the least interesting part of her story.

Tour a Blériot XI
In this audio interactive, a vintage-aircraft expert shows off the oldest operational airplane in the U.S.

Too Much Imagination
Have a look at the wildly different flying machines Blériot dreamed up before arriving at the great Blériot XI.

TV Program Description

Don't miss upcoming NOVA broadcasts and companion Web sites—subscribe to our e-mail bulletin.

Support authoritative science programming like NOVA by making a pledge to your local PBS station today. Pledge now.

Funding for NOVA is provided by David H. Koch, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and public television viewers.

Corporate funding provided by