A narrow body of water separates England from the rest of Europe… between Dover and Calais it’s only 21 miles wide.  Crossing it has become a bit of a right of passage for many forms of transport and aviators, with or without moustaches, have been no exception.  These are the stories of some of those early attempts!

Jean-Pierre Blanchard rows across the channel in a balloon!

Louis Blériot sporting a fine aviator’s moustache!

Blériot completes the first crossing of the Channel by a heavier than air machine.

Harriet Quimby’s very fetching flying gear.

A captured Focke-Achgelis Fa 223 Drache.

Images under Creative Commons licence with thanks to Jmack361,