page_title: Eugène Godard
section_title: Biography
hierarchical_section_title: Eugène Godard / Biography
caption_attribution_description: Deutsch: Eugène Godard (1827-1890), französischer Aeronaut, Ballonfahrer und Konstrukteur. Lithographie von Eduard Kaiser, 1851
context_page_description: Eugène Godard Ainé was a notable French aeronaut, born in Clichy on August 26, 1827, died in Brussels on September 9, 1890.
context_section_description: In 1841, 14-year-old Eugène Godard enrolled at the National Conservatory of Arts and Crafts in Paris. He did well in his studies and, being the son of a master mason, was intent on a career in architecture. After attending the launch of a gas balloon in 1845 however, he found his passion had a new direction and began building balloons. Although his first craft never managed to leave the ground, Godard persisted, and by the end of 1846 he had designed, built, and successfully launched several unmanned hydrogen balloons. He and his brother Louis established a workshop in Lille where the two constructed the balloon in which, on October 17, 1847, Eugène made his first free ascent, initiating his career as professional aeronaut and aerostat manufacturer.
  In 1849, Godard went to Bordeaux and met the famous British balloonist Charles Green, who flew him aboard a balloon inflated with coal gas, which was cheaper and more easily obtained than hydrogen. Applying what he learned from Green, Godard constructed his next craft, which he named the Ville de Bordeaux.
  On October 6, 1850 Godard made his first long-distance flight from the hippodrome at Place de l'Etoile in Paris to Gits, Belgium aboard his balloon the Ville de París, a craft that observers described as a “noble and gigantic” balloon. The Ville de París was reportedly destroyed by fire about a month later following a mishap in Marseille where Godard and four passengers lost control of the balloon. Fortunately all five people survived.
  In 1852 Godard aided inventor Henri Giffard in construction the first steam airship. In 1853, launching from Vienna, Godard became only the second person to ever fly over the Austrian Alps.
  In 1854 Godard made a series of ascents at the marriage of Emperor Franz Joseph I and Empress Elizabeth of Austria. On that occasion Godard signed an agreement with the Austrian government which stated that, in case of war, he would build balloons, organize balloonists companies, and perform observation ascents for the military. Franz Joseph declared him the "Aeronaut of the Emperor of Austria."
  In August 1855, he left France with his wife and his brother Auguste and went to the United States, where he remained until 1858. Godard’s many balloon ascents in North America included launches in New York City, New Orleans, St. Louis, Louisville, Cincinnati, San Francisco, and Cuba. After a perilous ascent aboard the balloon American during a storm in Cincinnati, Godard invented the tear panel which facilitates rapid deflation of a balloon.
  In 1856, Godard traveled to Cuba where he met canopy maker Matias Perez. The two shared a flight on May 21, after which Perez purchased the balloon from Godard for 1200 hard pesos. According to one report, this craft had also been named Ville de París. Perez flew the ship himself successfully on June 12 under excellent atmospheric conditions. Then on June 29, at around 7:00 PM, the Cuban attempted a second ascent, but this time in a strong wind. The balloon was quickly swept out to sea with Perez on board. The balloon and pilot were never found.
  On September 8, 1856, Eugène Godard made the first successful Canadian passenger flight in a balloon, travelling from Montreal to Pointe-Olivier, Quebec. On board with him were A.E. Kierzowski and A.X. Rambau. The balloon, called Canada, was the first aircraft ever constructed in Canada. Then on August 13, 1857, Godard made the first balloon flight in the history of Wales, launching from Caernarfon in a gas balloon called Aurora.
  In 1859, at the outbreak of the Franco-Austrian war, Godard returned to Europe and offered tethered observation balloon services to Emperor Napoleon III. In so doing, he instituted the art of aerial reconnaissance and broke the 1854 agreement he had made with Franz Joseph I, contributing to Austria’s defeat by the French.
  After the war, Godard began building hot air balloons equipped with a boiler of his invention, known as the "Montgodarfières". In 1863 he was again awarded the title "Aeronaut of the Emperor", but this time by Napoleon III. He was commissione
caption: An 1851 lithograph of Eugène Godard
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