The Antoinette was one of the most striking French aircraft of the Pioneer Age. The elegant boat-shaped fuselage and the advanced fuel-injected eight-cylinder Antoinette engine showed the unconventional design thinking of Leon Levavasseur, a former artist.
On 19 July 1909 Hubert Latham tried to make the first aerial crossing of the English Channel with this Antoinette, but came down 13 km out.
Six days later Louis Bleriot's attempt succeeded.
