Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier the autumn of 1784, but the attempt was not launched until after another Frenchman, Jean-Pierre Blanchard, and American companion, Dr John Jeffries, flew across the English Channel in a hydrogen gas balloon on 7 January 1785, from England to France. Despite several attempts, De Rozier and his companion, Pierre Romain, were not able to set off from Boulogne-sur-Mer until 15 June 1785. After making some progress, a change of wind direction pushed them back to land some 5 km from their starting point. The balloon suddenly deflated (without the envelope catching fire) and crashed near Wimereux in the Pas-de-Calais, from
Hot air ballooning in Luxor Hot air ballooning in Luxor Hot air ballooning in Luxor is an aspect of the Egyptian tourist industry, tour companies offer rides in hot air balloons to tourists who enjoy magnificent views of ancient Thebes, the temple complexes of Karnak and Luxor, the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Queens. A series of hot air balloon accidents have called the industry's safety record into question. Companies began offering hot air balloon rides to tourists in Luxor in the early 1990s. The balloon rides are an important part of Egypt's tourism industry. Following a 2009 crash, balloon flights