Giffard's 1852 airship flight was the first powered & steerable flight, showcasing control over 17 miles. The Giffard airship was the first full-sized airship with a 3-horsepower steam engine.

Men have been flying with balloons since 1783 and with airships or powered balloons since Henri Giffard's flight with the Giffard airship in 1852. However, in the 1920s and 1930s, heavier-than-air ...