28th September attempt

Frenchman fails in bid to be first to cross Channel
in a pedal-powered airship - By Daily Mail Reporter
Last updated at 9:26 AM on 29th September 2008

A French adventurer's attempt to become the first man to cross the Channel in a pedal-powered blimp ended in failure. Stephane Rousson, 39, had set off from Hythe on the Kent coast just before 8am on Sunday and hoped to reach Wissant, near Calais, in five hours. But as 3pm approached, the wind had turned against him, and he was forced to deflate his airship.

He was taken the final 11 miles of the 28-mile journey on a boat that had shadowed him. Mr Rousson, for whom this was a second attempt, said: 'Unfortunately there was nothing to suggest from the weather forecasts that there was going to be this change in the direction of the wind. 'I have had so much fun. My legs are a little bit burnt and I'm sure tomorrow I will be feeling a little sad but I'll have a few beers.'
He said the cost of the project meant he might not be able to try again, adding: 'All my money has gone into achieving this over the past five years. I'm quite a bit in debt.
'I have had such fun. I have just spent almost eight hours pedalling and I have done my best to make this achievement happen.

During the challenge, Mr Rousson was sat in a carbon fibre gondola underneath a 16-metre long helium-filled blimp, using a bicycle-like contraption to power the two propellers. Today marked a second failure for Rousson, who was forced to postpone a previous bid in June because strong winds made the feat too hazardous.
It was also the second daredevil cross-Channel attempt in as many days, following the success of Swiss adventurer Yves Rossy, 49, who on Friday became the first person to fly solo across the sea using a single jet-powered wing.
The challenge was a long-held dream for flying enthusiast Rousson, whose love affair with aviation grew as a child after watching Steven Spielberg's alien adventure ET and led to him gaining a pilot's licence.
Before his latest attempt, Rousson said: 'When I was young, I saw the movie and watched the little guy pedalling on a bike flying in front of the moon with ET.
'I always wanted to fly.'

The 16-metre-long helium-filled blimp, nicknamed 'Miss Louise' after his former girlfriend, requires light gusts of only two knots to become airborne. Rousson had been banking on a five-hour wind-free timeframe to enable him to set off. Stephane Rousson tried to cross the Channel in a pedal-powered airship. During the challenge, Rousson was sat underneath the envelope in a carbon fibre gondola, powering the two propellers with his feet using a bicycle-like contraption. The Frenchman qualified as a pilot in 2001, at a time when the industry took a downturn. Jobless, he devised a new way to employ his aeronautics knowledge and at the same time fulfil his passion for flying with the help of sponsors. Rousson said he also drew inspiration for his venture from the successful Channel crossing in 1979 of the Gossamer Albatross, a human-powered aircraft piloted by cyclist Bryan Allen and built by engineer Dr Paul MacCready.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-1063609/Frenchman-fails-bid-to-cross-Channel-pedal-powered-airship.html

What an adventure!

5 years...! 5 years since September 11, 2003, date on which I created the Endlessflyers association to set up the Transmanche project. I received an incredible support from the team who was almost complete (except Pierre Eddy, who was not able to come).

I will have unforgettable memories of these 8 hours pedaling, my legs still suffer a little, but what a happiness! It's a pity I had to pedal into the wind at the end, but perhaps this happened because of the book… "A journey to the edge of Utopia"… the fate of never finishing... lol… to be able to continue endlessly to start again a great adventure?

It was great fun, the team was fantastic, Chris was at the top with Henk. I'll come back to you with Laurence to tell you all this in a book that she is writing at the moment.

Game postponed or new project? … We’ll see. There are plenty of ideas.Thanks again to everybody, the list is really too long, all the volunteers and companiesthat helped me during the last 5 years, without forgetting all the mess and idiots also who make part of this adventure for which I’ve been fighting for.

Thanks again, see you !

Stephane

FR3

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