by Graham Tutthill

gtutthill@thekmgroup.co.uk

Monday marks the centenary of the first cross-Channel flight by a woman. And a replica of a Bleriot monoplane is on display in Dover this weekend.

A plaque is to be unveiled at the Ramada Hotel at Whitfield on Sunday near the site of an airstrip where Harriet Quimby took off for her 59-minute flight across the Channel.

She made the crossing on April 16, the day after the sinking of the Titanic, so, as a result, received little national recognition for her achievement.

A group of enthusiasts have got together to ensure that the centenary is commemorated, not only with the plaque, but also with a DVD which will tell the story of Harriet's life.

A replica Beriot XI monoplane is on display at Dover Transport Museum, this Saturday and Sunday, April 14 and 15. It has been especially brought to Dover from Den Haag in the Netherlands as part of the Harriet Quimby Centenary weekend.

There is only one other such place in the country, at The Shuttleworth Collection in Bedfordshire. Harriet Quimby borrowed a plane from Bleriot for her flight in 1912.

Dover businesswoman Louise Miller is using her dress-making skills to create a replica flying suit which the American aviator wore.

And she has also been chosen to play the part of Harriet in the DVD.

Louise, who runs the Mascarada fancy dress hire shop in London Road, has always enjoyed needlework and dress-making and is in regular demand for costumes and outfits of all kinds, including wedding dresses.

So she was the natural choice to make the replica of Harriet’s flying suit.

“The difficult part was finding out exactly what it looked like, because there were not many photographs at the time,” said Louise. “It was quite a challenge.

“We discovered that it consisted of pantaloons and a separate jacket with a cowl hood, so that is what I have made. It will be interlined with wool."

Filming for the DVD will take place during the next two months in Dover, Biggleswade in Bedfordshire, and Hardelot near Boulogne, where Harriet landed.

A plaque commemorating Harriet Quimby’s achievement is to be unveiled at the Ramada Hotel, Whitfield, on Sunday.

The Harriet Quimby Scrapbook, the life of America’s first Birdwoman 1875-1912, by Giacinta Bradley Koontz, is available for $21 including shipping.
To order, enter the book title on www.lulu.com