First flight: Henri Giffard and his airship

On September 24, 1852, a controlled balloon designed by the French engineer Henri Giffard took off. It was the first steam-powered airship launched into the sky. The cigar – shaped aircraft was 44 m long and 12 m in diameter. The take-off took place from the Paris Hippodrome.

The tests were hindered by the weather: during the launch, a strong wind blew, which disrupted the forward movement of the balloon. The ascent continued until the engineer reached an altitude of 1800 m. Giffard then directed the vehicle horizontally, approaching the city of Trappes, where it eventually landed. The airship covered a distance of 27 km, but the flight was not recognized as controlled for some time, because the device did not return to the place of departure.

In 1855 Giffard flew on a new airship with a length of 70 m. During the flight, the airship was damaged: the shell had a number of shortcomings, and almost slipped out of the grid. Giffard was lucky, the gondola remained in place, and the balloonist managed to land.