Over 300 pilots have marked the centenary of Louis Blériot's first aeroplane flight over the Channel from France to England. Most of them used modern ultra-lightweight planes, but Frenchman Edmond Salis flew an exact replica of Blériot's monoplane.

It was constructed in 1934 from wood, canvas, bicycle wheels with a 25 horsepower propellor engine. The aircraft had some problems initially during lift-off near Calais, but the flight continued perfectly. Salis landed in a field near Dover castle after 45 minutes in the air. Blériot's flight on 25 July 1909 was eight minutes quicker.

photo: Salis in flight (ANP/EPA)