Baptiste Jules Henri Jacques Giffard (8 February 1825 – 14 April 1882) was a French engineer. In 1852, he invented the steam injector and the powered Giffard dirigible airship.
Career
Giffard was born in Paris in 1825. He invented the injector and the Giffard dirigible, an airship powered by a steam engine and weighing more than 180 kilograms (400 lb). This airship was the first in the world to carry passengers. It was filled with hydrogen and had a 2.2-kilowatt (3 hp) steam engine that turned a propeller. The engine had a funnel that pointed downward. Exhaust steam was mixed with combustion gases to help prevent sparks from reaching the gas bag. A vertical rudder was also added for control.
On September 24, 1852, Giffard made the first powered and controlled flight, traveling 27 kilometers (17 mi) from Paris to Élancourt. Strong winds made it impossible for him to return to his starting point. However, he successfully turned and circled, showing that a powered airship could be steered.
Giffard received a patent for the injector on May 8, 1858. He had fully understood the theory behind the invention before building any test model, having described the idea in 1850. Others, like Eugène Bourdon, had also worked on similar jet devices, with Bourdon patenting a very similar one in 1857.
In 1863, Giffard was named a Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur.
Death and commemoration
Because of his declining eyesight, Giffard took his own life in 1882. He left his estate to the nation for humanitarian and scientific purposes.
Gallery
- A balloon designed by Henri Giffard floating above the rooftops of Paris in 1878.
- A model of the Giffard Airship is displayed at the London Science Museum.
- A medal commemorating Giffard's balloon flight over Paris in 1878.