First balloon crossing of the English Channel

On January 7, 1785 Jean-Pierre Francois Blanchard and John Jeffries, an American doctor, made the first flight across the English Channel.

The flight was made in a hydrogen balloon, and the flight took about 2 1/2 hours.
During this flight, the balloon unexpectedly lost gas and almost crashed into the English Channel.
Only by throwing all of their ballast and most of their clothing into the Channel they managed to stay in the air.

The two pilots were forced to throw all cargo overboard except the package of the first international airmail, delivered successfully upon their safe landing in the Felmores Forest, France.



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