Flying [an original] 114-Year-Old Aircraft | Thulin A / Blériot XI

In 1908, Wilbur Wright’s flights at Le Mans stunned Europe and inspired pioneers like Louis Blériot to adapt the Wrights’ revolutionary wing-warping system. Just a year later, Blériot’s XI became the first aircraft to cross the English Channel — marking the dawn of modern aviation.

The Thulin A, a Swedish-built version of the Blériot XI, is one of the few survivors of this pioneering era. Built by AB Enoch Thulin’s Aeroplanfabrik, it trained pilots between 1913–1919 and stands as a rare living link to the earliest days of flight.

Mikael Carlson owns and flies two original Thulin A / Blériot XI aircraft, both powered by authentic 1908 Gnôme Omega 50 hp rotary engines. He has restored them to flying condition and even recreated Blériot’s Channel crossing in 1999 and 2009.

Over 110 years later, these fragile machines still take to the skies — a breathtaking tribute to the roots of aviation.