September 24, 1852 Giffard traveled about 17 miles from the Paris racecourse to Trappes at approximately 6 m/hr. Giffard's airship could only be steered in calm or nearly calm weather. If there was stronger wind it would result in circle flight.  Internal combustion engines did not become practical until the end of the nineteenth century.

                    On his next flight, Giffard realizied that the engine was too heavy for his balloon and suspended it beneath a another large bag of 113,000 cubic feet. On a trial trip, gas escaped and the balloon became misshapen. The nose tilted up and some of the lines that held the car in place broke. The balloon escaped from the net and burst. Giffard and his passenger were  injured slightly.

                    Giffard's third and final attempt, an even larger balloon was planned a 1,970 feet  long, 98 feet  in diameter , and  a 7,800,000 cubic feet capacity. He designed a steam engine that weighed 30 tons but due to its cost it was never built.

References:
Ambers, Henry. J. The Dirigible and the Future, rev. ed. Massapequa Park, N.Y.: 1981.

Botting, Douglas. The Giant Airships. Alexandria, Virginia: Time-Life Books, 1980.

Crouch, Tom D. The Eagle Aloft, Two Centuries of the Balloon in America. Washington:
                    Smithsonian Institution Press, 1983.

Dwiggins, Don. The Complete Book of Airships: Dirigibles, Blimps and Hot Air Balloons. Blue
                    Ridge Summit, Penn.: Tab Books, 1980.

Rolt, L.T.C. The Aeronauts: A History of Ballooning, 1783-1903. N.Y.: Walker and Co., 1966.

Toland, John. The Great Dirigibles: Their Triumphs and Disasters, N.Y.: Dover Publications,
                    1972.
http://ebooks.whsmithonline.co.uk

http://www.centennialofflight.gov/essay/Lighter_than_air/Beginning_of_the_Dirigible/LTA6G5.htm

http://www.ctie.monash.edu.au/hargrave/giffard.html

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