[00:00.22]Lesson 20
[00:01.59]Pioneer pilots
[00:09.20]What was the name of the first plane to fly across the English Channel?
[00:15.32]In 1908 Lord Northcliffe offered a prize of $1,000 to the first man who would fly across the English Channel.
[00:26.76]Over a year passed before the first attempt was made.
[00:30.79]On July 19th, 1909, in the early morning,
[00:36.32]Hubert Latham took off from the French coast in his plane the 'Antoinette IV.'
[00:43.18]He had travelled only seven miles across the Channel when his engine failed and he was forced to land on the sea.
[00:51.74]The 'Antoinette' floated on the water until Latham was picked up by a ship.
[00:58.74]Two days later, Louis Bleriot arrived near Calais with a plane called 'No.XI'.
[01:06.67]Bleriot had been making planes since 1905 and this was his latest model.
[01:14.31]A week before, he had completed a successful overland flight during which he covered twenty-six miles.
[01:22.01]Latham, however, did not give up easily.
[01:25.30]He, too, arrived near Calais on the same day with a new 'Antoinette'.
[01:31.72]It looked as if there would be an exciting race across the Channel.
[01:36.74]Both planes were going to take off on July 25th, 
[01:41.24]but Latham failed to get up early enough.
[01:44.60]After making a short test flight at 4.15 a.m., Bleriot set off half an hour later.
[01:52.63]His great flight lasted thirty-seven minutes.
[01:56.45]When he landed near Dover, the first person to greet him was a local policeman.
[02:03.65]Latham made another attempt a week later and got within half a mile of Dover,
[02:08.89]but he was unlucky again.
[02:11.83]His engine failed and he landed on the sea for the second time.