English Channel Dover and Boulogne but later also Ramsgate (Pegwell Bay) to Calais. The journey time Dover to Boulogne was roughly 35 minutes, with six trips per day at peak times. The fastest crossing of the English Channel by a commercial car-carrying hovercraft was 22 minutes, recorded by the "Princess Anne" MCH SR-N4 Mk3 on 14 September 1995, The first aircraft to cross the Channel was a balloon in 1785, piloted by Jean Pierre François Blanchard (France) and John Jeffries (US). Louis Blériot (France) piloted the first airplane to cross in 1909. The sport of Channel swimming traces its origins to the
Hot air balloon an open flame near the gas. All modern Roziere balloons now use helium as a lifting gas. Solar balloons are hot air balloons that use just solar energy captured by a dark envelope to heat the air inside. Hot air balloon can be steered to a limited degree by changing the altitude of the flight. Wind in the northern hemisphere tends to turn right due to coriolis effect as the altitude increases. To help ensure the safety of pilot and passengers, a hot air balloon may carry several pieces of safety equipment. To relight the burner if the pilot light