News

25.042008

In the week from 31 March to 6 April 2008 a Blériot road show took place at selected Benzina plus filling stations, offering a wonderful opportunity to see the unique model of the Blériot XI aircraft in which Jan Kašpar made his first long-distance flight from Pardubice to Prague. Our hostesses took photos of guests with this rare exhibit; the Polaroid pictures were then ready on the spot.

The creator of the replica of the aeroplane is Václav Vondrášek, an aeronautical designer, who is well known not only among Czech collectors, but also internationally. He has been constructing copies of historical aircraft for more than ten years and, as he himself adds, the construction of similar machines takes experienced constructors roughly two and a half thousand hours. This monoplane of his with one seat and one motor and with classical tail surfaces has a wingspan of 928 cm, a length of 834 cm and a weight of 325 kg. It is interesting that all the components of the machine are manufactured precisely according to the original documentation. The frame is comprised of oak and poplar wood with wire reinforcement. The surface of the wings is covered by canvas. Movement is provided by a four-bladed propeller, which is propelled by a water-cooled four-cylinder 70 horsepower Aerodaimler engine. Thus the machine can reach speeds of up to 100 km/h.
Along with a photograph of the Blériot aircraft you will also receive a playing card containing one pre-printed coupon for the Gifts that Will Have You Flying High contest. You can obtain attractive prizes during this promotional event, including stuffed toys, metal models of automobiles, practical bags, etc. You can find the full rules of the contest here.
Take advantage of this wonderful chance to see the aeroplane that you know from our ads, to speak to the expert who helped make the aeroplanes for Jan Svěrák's Czech film Dark Blue World and to win interesting prizes!
You will soon be able to find, on these pages, a list of the selected filling stations where the Blériot XI aeroplane will be displayed.