The Blériot XI was designed and built by Louis Blériot of France in 1909. In this aircraft, Blériot became the first man to successfully fly across the English Channel. Another important “first” was the 1910 flight over the City of Montreal by Count Jacques de Lesseps in his Blériot XI christened “Le Scarabée”. This epic flight was the first over a Canadian city. Members of the Montreal Aviation Museum are currently building a full-scale reproduction of the Blériot XI from an original set of plans.