Pedal-powered airship to cross English Channel
As airlines around the world remain preoccupied with the cost of oil and its ruinous effect on their industry, a Frenchman who hopes to become the first person to fly across on the English Channel using a bicycle-powered balloon is more concerned with the speed of the wind.
Stéphane Rousson has developed a pedal-powered 16m-long airship to make the 28-mile journey, but the balloon is so light that it is at the mercy of the wind and needs conditions to be absolutely still in order to fly successfully.
Monsieur Rousson is a qualified pilot who was first inspired in his quest to develop human-powered aircraft when he watched the flying bicycle scene in the Steven Spielberg film, E.T.
The English Channel on average experiences windless days no more than four times a year – two in May or June and one or two in September and October.
A spokesperson for the Environmental Transport Association (ETA) said: “Monsieur Rousson’s pedal-powered airship is the greenest mode of human flight ever devised – we wish him every success.”
It was a fellow Frenchman, Louis Blériot, who in 1909 became the first person to cross the English Channel in a plane. In 1979, the Gossamer Albatross became the first human-powered plane to cross the Channel.
Pedal-powered airship
| Pedal-powered airship facts | … at a glance |
|---|---|
| Construction | polyester with a Kevlar coating |
| Weight | 176lb without the pilot |
| Speed | 9mph without a headwind |
| Length | 16 metres |
| Propeller diameter | 3 metres |
Related article:
Stéphane Rousson’s website
Cost of flying soars
Green travel insurance rewards travellers who do not fly
What is the ETA?
The ETA is a not-for-profit ethical organisation providing motorists and cyclists with carbon-neutral breakdown cover and insurance products. As well as encouraging responsible driving to reduce carbon, the ETA campaigns for sustainable transport.
