The montgolfier brothers biography

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On December 14, 1782, they succeeded in an open-air drop of an 18 m³ silk bag, which reached an altitude of 250 m.

These balloons were called montgolfière or "mongolfiera". Red and blue drapery and golden eagles were at the base of the balloon. The envelope could contain nearly 790 m³ (28,000 cu ft) of air and weighed 225 kg (496 lb).

This marks the starting point of the history of the human flight. The duck was expected to be unharmed by being lifted and was included as a control for effects created by the aircraft rather than the altitude. Again in collaboration with Réveillon, Étienne built a 60,000-cubic-foot (1,700 m³) balloon for the purpose of making flights with humans.

After observing that the products of combustion tended to rise, they produced a successful small silk balloon of four cubic feet. On 14 December 1782 they took their very first test flight, using ignited wool and hay as fuel. Word of their success quickly reached Paris. His flight covered 2 km, lasted 10 minutes and reached an estimated altitude between 1,600 and 2,000 meters.

The flight covered 2 km (1.2 mi), lasted 10 minutes, and had an estimated altitude of 1,600–2,000 m (5,200–6,600 ft). However, burning embers from the fire were scorching the balloon fabric and had to be daubed out with sponges. After 25 minutes, the balloon landed between the windmills, outside the city ramparts, on the Butte-aux-Cailles.

There was some concern about the effects of flight into the upper atmosphere on living creatures. 15.