List of English Channel crossings by air

This is a list of notable flights across the English Channel.

First attempts Date Crossing Participant(s) Aircraft Departure point Arrival point Notes "Blanchard, Jean-Pierre-François." Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Retrieved 17 October 2009. First crossing by air Jean Pierre François Blanchard (France) John Jeffries (US) balloon Dover, England Calais, France — First air crash Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier (France) Pierre Romain (France) Rozière balloon: combination hydrogen & hot-air balloon Boulogne-Sur-Mer, France — Balloon blown back over French soil and crashed, both killed.First E-W crossingFrançois LhosteVille-de-Boulogne gas balloonBoulogne, France Ruckinge, KentLhoste had made five previous attempts, and succeeded on the sixth. First Gordon Bennett Cup winner Frank P. Lahm, Henry Blanchard Hersey (the United States of America) Gas balloon Tuileries, ParisFylingdales, Yorkshire Gas balloon traveled 641 km in 22 hours and 15 minutes First person to cross the channel in a heavier-than-air aircraft Louis Blériot (France) Blériot XI Calais, France Dover, England Encouraged by £1000 prize offered by the Daily Mail for first successful flight across the Channel. Flight time 37 minutes.First person to make a double crossing of the Channel in a heavier-than-air aircraft Charles Stewart Rolls (UK) Short Wright biplane Swingfield Downs, Kent Sangatte, France First heavier-than-air flight from England to France. Sangatte Eastchurch, Kent First aircraft flight with passengers John Moisant (US) Blériot XI Calais, France Deal, England Passengers were mechanic Albert Fileux and Moisant's cat.First airship crossingErnest Willows (UK) Frank Goodden (UK)City of Cardiff airshipWormwood Scrubs, London, England Corbehem, near Douai, FranceDeparted at 3:25pm on 4 November 1910. Night-time crossing, landed at 2:00am on 5 November 1910. Arrived at Paris on 28 December 1910. First woman to fly across the Channel Harriet Quimby (US) Blériot XI Dover A beach near Neufchâtel-Hardelot, France Flight time 59 minutes. Her accomplishment did not receive much media attention, as the RMS Titanic sank the evening before. First flight across the Channel by autogyro Juan de la Cierva (SPA) Cierva C.8 Achieved as part of the first flight by autogyro between London and Paris. First crossing in a glider Lissant Beardmore (UK)RRG Professor glider Aero-tow from Lympne to an altitude of Saint-Inglevert Airfield, Pas-de-Calais. First helicopter crossing Helmut Gerstenhauer (Germany) Flt Lt. Dennis (UK) Flt. Lt. Morris (UK) Focke-Achgelis Fa 223 Cherbourg, France RAF Beaulieu, England Helicopter was piloted by Gerstenhauer, with two Royal Air Force officers acting as observers.First crossing by hot air balloonDon Piccard & Ed Yost (US)“Channel Champ”Associated Press. "Record Balloon Flight Made By Americans". Gadsden Times, April 14, 1963, p. 1. Retrieved on May 29, 2013. Rye, EnglandGravelines, FranceFirst to cross the English Channel in a hot air balloon. First powered hang-glider to cross the Channel David Cook (UK) Volmer VJ-23E Walmer, EnglandCalais, France Powered by a 9 hp (6.6 kW) McCulloch 101 engine. Aircraft is on display at the Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester. First human-powered aircraft to cross the Channel Bryan Allen (US) Gossamer AlbatrossFolkstone, EnglandCap Gris Nez, France Won a £100,000 Kremer Prize; Allen pedalled for three hours to propel the 55-pound (25 kg) aircraft First crossing by electric aircraft Stephen Ptacek (US) Solar Challenger Pontoise Aerodrome, France RAF Manston, England Solar-powered First crossing by hybrid energy balloonSolar Balloon Takes Flight Over England Julian Nott (UK) G-BAVU (aircraft registration number) North-west of Dover, EnglandTournehem-sur-la-Hem, France Solar-powered liftFirst crossing by cluster balloonDavid Kirke (UK)Balloon cluster consisted of an inflatable kangaroo and several spherical balloons.Beachy Head, East Sussex, EnglandFerques, FranceSponsored by Foster's Lager Crossing in a long freefall Felix Baumgartner (Austria) Wingsuit and a carbon fibre wing Dover, EnglandCalais, France First crossing with a jetpack Yves Rossy (Switzerland) Crossing completed in less than ten minutes First crossing with an electric driven aircraft with onboard energy Gerard Thevenot Gerard Thevenot crossed the channel with his HYNOV, an electric driven trike aircraft with hydrogen as source of energy First crossing by battery-powered electric aircraft Hugues Duval Colomban Cri-cri Air-launched First battery-powered electric aircraft to takeoff and fly over the Channel Didier Esteyne Airbus E-Fan First quadcopter drone to fly across the Channel in a single flight.Richard GillEnduro 1Wissant, France Shakespeare Beach, DoverDrone launched from beach in France and flew back to UK. The total flight time was 78 minutes at an average speed of about 10 m/s. The flight was conducted with the approval of the French DGAC and British CAA.First crossing by flying car.Bruno Vezzoli, Jérôme DauffyPégase Mark IIAmbleteuse, France East Studdal, near DoverPegase developed by Vaylon company took off from France and flew to UK. Total flight time: 85 minutes Distance 72,5 km which 33,3 km over the channel.

References

See also List of Bass Strait crossings by air List of Cook Strait crossings by air List of Irish Sea crossings by air