The English Channel is a barrier. Ever since William the Bastard crossed the narrow band of sea in 1066 and earned the title William the Conqueror, the channel has stood as an impenetrable barrier to invaders.

This has also made it the site of a bit of aerial sport. Despite the channel being just over 20 miles across at its narrowest point, aviators since the dawn of aviation have clamored to be the first to fly across the channel with a new craft. In 1909, Louis Blériot became the first person to do so, but records have been claimed as recently as last year, when the first two entirely electric airplanes crossed the channel, each claiming to be the first plane like that to do so (it's still disputed which one was first). This week, we might be able to add a new craft to historic channel crossers: an unmanned quadcopter piloted by Richard Gill of Team Ocuair as he sat from inside a little boat.