Giffard, Baptiste Henri Jacques

Giffard, Baptiste Henri Jacques (1825-82), French engineer.

After flying in a balloon, Henri Giffard said, 'Balloons will never be of much use. They cannot be steered.'

Then he invented the airship-a cigar-shaped balloon that could be steered.

Giffard's first airship was 144 feet (44 m) long and measured 39 feet (12 m) all round and filled with hydrogen.

It was driven by a lightweight 3 horse-power steam engine made by Giffard, with a downward pointing funnel to avoid sparks getting near the gas ballon, and it made its first flight on 24 September, 1852.

On this occasion Giffard travelled some 17 miles (27 km) at a speed of 4-5 mph (6-8 km/h) and steered his airship to a certain extent using a sail as a rudder.