Antoinette Monoplane, 1909. The elegant boat-shaped fuselage and the advanced fuel-injected eight cylinder engine showed the unconventional design thinking of Leon Levavasseur, a former artist. The first attempt to fly an aeroplane across the English Channel - an effort cut short due to engine failure - was made by Hubert Latham in July 1909 using a similar Antoinette Monoplane. This view shows the front section of the fuselage.