Giffard Steam Dirigible, 1852
£12.50
Giffard Steam Dirigible: The first powered and steerable (French: dirigeable) airship to fly (scroll down for a more detailed Description)
Print published 1973 by Hugh Evelyn; drawn by Peter W.M. Griffin
Print size: c. 34 x 24 cm [13″ x 9″] may vary slightly from the printers’ cut 50 years ago)
Printed on high white matt cardstock of 115 g/m²
Print is STANDARD size – shipping is the same for 1 to 10 prints (based on largest print size in your order) – see Shipping & Returns.
In stock
Description
The Giffard dirigible or Giffard airship was an airship built in France in 1852 by Henri Giffard, the first powered and steerable (French: dirigeable) airship to fly. The craft featured an elongated hydrogen-filled envelope that tapered to a point at each end. From this was suspended a long beam with a triangular, sail-like rudder at its aft end, and beneath the beam a platform for the pilot and steam engine. Due to the highly flammable nature of the lifting gas, special precautions were taken to minimise the potential for the envelope to be ignited by the engine beneath it. The engine’s exhaust was diverted downwards to a long pipe projecting below the platform, and the area surrounding the boiler’s stoke hole was surrounded by wire gauze. On 24 September 1852, Giffard flew the airship from the hippodrome at Place de l’Etoile to Élancourt, covering the 27 km (17 mi) in around 3 hours, demonstrating manouvering along the way. The engine, however, was not sufficiently powerful to allow Giffard to fly against the wind to make a return journey. Powered by a 3 hp steam engine, Giffard’s 2,500 cubic metre (88,300 cubic feet) pressure airship, filled with coal gas, achieved a speed of 2.7 metres per second (6 mph). There is a model of Giffard’s Airship at the Science Museum in London. (Wikimedia October 2023).
Additional information
| Weight | 0.0115 kg |
|---|---|
| Dimensions | 34 × 24 cm |
