Page "Louis Blériot" Paragraph 22

The grey line of the English coast, however, came into sight in his left ; the wind had increased, and had blown him to the east of his intended course.

Altering course, he followed the line of the coast about a mile offshore until he spotted Charles Fontaine, the correspondent from Le Matin waving a large Tricolour as a signal.

Unlike Latham, Blériot had not visited Dover to find a suitable spot to land, and the choice had been made by Fontaine, who had selected a patch of gently sloping land called Northfall Meadow, close to Dover Castle, where there was a low point in the cliffs.

Once over land, he circled twice to lose height, and cut his engine at an altitude of about, making a heavy landing due to the gusty wind conditions ; the undercarriage was damaged and one blade of the propeller was shattered, but Blériot was unhurt.

The flight had taken 36 minutes and 30 seconds.