Steam-powered airship

What it is

An elongated hydrogen balloon powered by a 3 hp steam engine and a propeller, which flew 27 km from Paris to Élancourt in 1852. The first powered, controlled flight in history.

The flight of 24 September 1852 could not return against the wind for lack of power.

What it led to

• Electric airships (La France, 1884) and the Zeppelin (1900)
• The concept of the steerable aircraft
• Giffard's steam injector (1858) for boilers

Built on

• Hot-air and hydrogen balloon1783
• Charles and Robert hydrogen balloon1 de diciembre de 1783
• High-pressure steam engine1801-1802
• Screw propeller1836-1839

Made possible

• Rigid airship (Zeppelin)1900
• Santos-Dumont No. 6 airship19 de octubre de 1901
• Astra-Torres trilobed airship1902-1911
• Zeppelin
• Military airship
• Giffard's injector

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