Jorge Antonio Chávez Dartnell, also known as Géo Chávez, was a Peruvian aviator. At a young age, he achieved fame for his aeronautical feats. He died in 1910 after a heavy wind broke the wings of his fragile airplane Bleriot XI, falling from a twenty-meter height upon landing, after achieving the first air crossing of the Pennine Alps.
Chávez from his Bleriot XI, 1910
Monument to Jorge Chávez in Lima, Perú
Memorial to Jorge Chávez in the market square of Brig
Monument to Jorge Chávez in Domodossola
The Blériot XI is a French aircraft from the pioneer era of aviation. The first example was used by Louis Blériot to make the first flight across the English Channel in a heavier-than-air aircraft, on 25 July 1909. This is one of the most famous accomplishments of the pioneer era of aviation, and not only won Blériot a lasting place in history but also assured the future of his aircraft manufacturing business. The event caused a major reappraisal of the importance of aviation; the English newspaper The Daily Express led its story of the flight with the headline "Britain is no longer an Island".
Blériot XI as first built: note small "teardrop" profile fin on dorsal cabane
Lucien Chauvière, designer of the Integrale propeller for the Blériot XI.
Blériot over the English Channel, 25 July 1909