One of the oldest aircraft at the National Museum of the United States Air Force in Dayton, Ohio, has been restored. The museum’s Blériot monoplane, a copy of Louis Blériot’s famous Blériot XI, spent most of 2026 in the museum’s restoration hangar, Vintage Aviation News reported on November 12, 2026.
What was done
- Why it needed work: the old fabric was degrading and had been pulling on the wooden structure. The aircraft, which had hung for about 50 years in the Early Years Gallery, was lowered and moved to the restoration hangar at Wright-Patterson AFB in February 2023.
- The restoration: work began in February 2026 under museum restoration specialist Casey Simmons. The old fabric came off, the wooden structure was treated and varnished, and new fabric went on: the tail in late February, the wings from April, with the last fabric applied and doped in August. The museum’s own fact sheet noted new fabric on the tail section in March.
- How long: about eight months, from February to October 2026.
The aircraft
It is believed to be the third and last Blériot copy built in 1911 by Ernest C. “Ernie” Hall of Ohio, according to Vintage Aviation News. Little is known about its flying career. Hall gave it to the Army Aeronautical Museum in the late 1930s; it was stored during World War II, went back to Hall in Warren, Ohio, for safekeeping, and returned to the museum in 1969 when Hall trucked it back. Vintage Aviation News lists its engine as an Anzani fan-type 3-cylinder of 20 horsepower, the standard engine of the original Blériot XI.
Can you see it?
The museum has not announced the exact day the Blériot goes back on display in the Early Years Gallery, so check the museum’s website before a trip planned around it. The National Museum of the U.S. Air Force and other aviation museums in the state are on our aviation museums in Ohio page, and the Dayton Air Show returns on June 26-27, 2027 with the Thunderbirds.
Sources
- Vintage Aviation News: Blériot Restoration at the National Museum of the United States Air Force (November 12, 2026)
- National Museum of the U.S. Air Force: Bleriot Monoplane fact sheet
Written by Airshow Guide in our own words from the sources above. Checked November 13, 2026.
Worth bringing
- Hearing protection Fast jets are very loud, especially for children. Ear defenders or foam plugs make the day much nicer.
- Sun protection Airfields have little shade: hat, sunglasses and sunscreen, even on cloudy days.
- Folding chair or blanket You may stand or sit for hours. Check the show rules first – some sites limit chairs near the crowd line.
Check each show’s own rules for allowed items. Full list: what to bring to an airshow.