Prior to the successful English Channel crossing in the Bleriot XI, Louis Bleriot designed and built a number of predecessors. Bleriot V was the first to achieve sustained flight, but the VII may be viewed as the forerunner of later tractor-propelled monoplanes. It had a covered fuselage and engine, and used tailplane elevons as a control surface. Bleriot VII made six flights in 1907, but was lost in an accident in December of that year. Bleriot IX was a variation on the VII and utilized tandem horizontal tail surfaces. Before moving on to the renowned XI, Bleriot experimented with Bleriot X, of a similar configuration to Wright brothers' designs.