Blanchard, 1790, Analyse de la nouvelle machine aërostatique

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Blanchard. Analyse de la nouvelle machine aërostatique que j'ai inventée et exécutée a Varsovie pendant l'anée 1789 et 1790. Berlin: G. J. Decker et Fils.

[Date not explicitly given; text is 'signed' on p. 12: "Blanchard, citoyen de Calais par adoption, pensionnaire de S. M. T. C. Membre de plusieurs Académies.]

PDF scan from SLUB-Dresden

Apparently a rare publication of Blanchard's, not indexed by Brockett or found in many libraries. (See [1]) In fact the identity of the author is not completely certain, but we can be fairly confident that it's the same Blanchard who crossed the English Channel with John Jeffries and published numerous accounts of his international balloon ascents.

  • Tissandier, 1887, Histoire 1783–1800, pp. 127–128 confirms Blanchard activity in Varsovie during these years (though he could have been misinterpreting the same book...)
  • Cover motto: "Aetherum tranavit iter quo numine Blanchard! ... / Impavidus fortem non timet Icariam." (something like: through the skies flies Blanchard a divinely-sanctioned course / the bold do not fear the fate of Icarus)

Describes a new aerial vessel:

  • containing many pieces of wood, which aid in resistance to shocks,
  • nevertheless portable by land,
  • packed up or reassembled within two hours
  • steerable to some extent within air currents

With

  • a 16' by 22' oblong base (note: 1790 "pieds" differ somewhat from English feet)
  • car, a pyramidal structure defined by a truncated octagon
  • openings at the extremities of the vessel for communication and transfer of supplies (called was ist das, see w:fr:Vasistas
  • balloon, holding 90,000 cubic feet of air, surface formed of 4600 aunes (= 4600 "ells"? ≈ 5750 yards ) of taffeta
  • six wheels

Blanchard writes that his experiments were successful and he expressed great confidence in the safety of air travel, while noting in the epilogue that a lost fiery coal started a destructive fire on the ground. He also mentions packing parachutes and taking people for rides.


Original title Analyse de la nouvelle machine aërostatique que j'ai inventée et exécutée a Varsovie pendant l'anée 1789 et 1790
Simple title Analyse de la nouvelle machine aërostatique
Authors Jean-Pierre Blanchard
Date 1790
Countries DE
Languages FR
Keywords fr
Journal
Related to aircraft? 1
Page count 15
Word count
Wikidata id
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