Bleriot XI “Cross Country”

This Cross-Country Bleriot XI was built on the success of the earlier, smaller, English Channel Crossing version by the American Aeroplane Supply House in Hempstead, Long Island. With a long-range fuel tank and more powerful engine it was considered a “Cross-Country Type.” The last owner and perhaps pilot was James P. McGrath of Mt. Kisco, NY. Following a minor accident, it was stored at his sister’s farm near Boston. When the barn caught fire in 1963, the fire fighters discovered a slightly singed Bleriot. Wadded newspapers found in the hollow crankshaft date the storage as November 1915. It was acquired by the Marine Corps Museum in Quantico, VA in 1964 and traded for a brand-new Curtiss Pusher reproduction Cole Palen built from scratch.

It is original except for six pieces of wood spliced into the fuselage longerons and new fabric. The airplane has a 1911 French electric tachometer and even the original seat cushion. The long-range belly tank has not been used for flying at Old Rhinebeck. It was restored during the winter of 1975-1976 and, in 1976, was flown for approximately ten minutes over three test flights to a height of approximately 500’ at Hammondsport, NY. The length of the Aerodrome runway limited flights to lower altitudes and shorter duration. It was grounded in the 1980s by a damaged component in its rare engine.

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