Blériot, Louis (1872–1936) French aircraft designer and aviator. In 1909 Blériot became the first man to fly an aircraft across the English Channel. The flight from Calais to Dover took 37 minutes. As a designer, he was responsible for various innovations, including a system by which the pilot could operate ailerons by remote control.

Blériot, Louis (1872–1936), French aviation pioneer. Trained as an engineer, he built one of the first successful monoplanes in 1907, and on 25 July 1909 he became the first to fly the English Channel (Calais to Dover), in a monoplane of his own design.