The monoplanes _No. XI_ and _No. XII_ represented Blériot’s most successful types. They bore a family resemblance to his preceding machines, but had a more vigorous lateral control due to warpage of their main surfaces instead of the wing-tips, as of old. Both were provided with a single-screw propeller in front, and both were mounted on three-wheeled chassis with shock absorbers. The larger machine, or _No. XII_, had a wing surface of 337 square feet; the smaller a surface of 151 square feet. The latter, on its historic cross-Channel trip, carried a three-cylinder air-cooled Anzani engine. Hubert Latham, in his beautiful _Antoinette_ monoplane, began to achieve distinction for himself and his admirably designed long-tailed flyer early in the spring, and, ere midsummer, was one of the favorite idols of the thronged aërodromes. He preferred a lofty course; he cut through the sky with the precision and grace of a winged-spear; he fascinated the spectators by the steadiness of his sweep. The French reporters declare they saw him roll and light cigarettes in full flight. Not only did he delight the artist, but he surprised the official measurer. Toward the end of May he established a new monoplane record by a flight lasting 37 minutes and 3 seconds. On the 5th of June he flew continuously 1 hour, 7 minutes and 37 seconds, at a speed of 45 miles an hour. This was done in a wind and heavy rain which drenched and blinded him, finally inducing him to come down. On June 7th he carried a passenger, something new for a monoplane. In July he increased the altitude record by flying 450 feet high. Next day he flew across country from Arras to Douai, 12½ miles, in 20 minutes. Very reasonably, therefore, he announced, his intention of sailing for England above the waters of the turbulent strait. The _Antoinette_ monoplane resembled, at a distance, a long-winged fish with its head cut off and replaced by a screw-propeller. It had a skifflike body with the screw in front, followed by the _Antoinette_ engine, then by the pilot’s seat, the tail part carrying fixed horizontal and vertical fins and movable horizontal and vertical rudders. These rudders together with _ailerons_, or warping wings, controlled the poise in flight. The body was mounted on a light chassis having cushioned wheels, and a landing skid for absorbing shocks. The engine employed no carburetor, and was cooled by water which turned to steam in the engine jackets, condensed in tubes on the side of the prow, then was pumped back to the jackets. PLATE XXVIII. [Illustration: _ANTOINETTE_ MONOPLANE OF 1909. (Courtesy W. J. Hammer.)] [Illustration: _ANTOINETTE_ MONOPLANE OF 1910.]