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Daring Flight, A
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Viewing Ideas
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Before Watching
Help students locate Calais, France; Dover, England; and the English Channel
on a map. Trace Blériot's famous Channel crossing. Use the map's scale
to determine the distance across the English Channel. (It is about 39
kilometers, and Blériot took 36 minutes to cross.) Have students
calculate Blériot's average speed for the trip. (It was about 60
km/hr.)
As students watch, have them collect information for the "Blériot's
Inventions" activity.
After Watching
Ask students to contrast Blériot's experimental method with that of
the Wright Brothers. What was Blériot's approach? (He built and tested a
variety of planes.) What allowed him to pursue this method? (He had the
necessary funding to build multiple planes.) How did the Wright Brothers design
their planes? (They methodically tested and refined their ideas.)
Have students compare what it was like flying early aircraft like the
Blériot models to today's aircraft. (In early models, pilots were
completely exposed to the elements, had no electronic controls, had no ground
communication, and used unsteady wing warping to control roll. Today's pilots
fly in enclosed cockpits, have sophisticated navigation systems, use radio and
are tracked by radar, and rely on stable ailerons to control roll.)
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