NMUSAF - Observation Balloon. The Airship Association. DuMont Personal Airship #6 | Aircraft | Santos- Dumont caught the imagination of the aviation minded world when, in his 110-ft airship Number 6, he flew from St Cloud to and around the Eiffel Tower and back on 19 October 1901. Flying in a DuMont Airship.... (An account by Santos) 'At 11 am all was ready. The basket rocked prettily beneath the balloon, which a mild, fresh breeze was caressing. Impatient to be off, I stood in my corner of the narrow wicker basket with a bag of ballast in my hand. In the other corner M. 'Suddenly the wind ceased. Any man who could write so vividly and observantly about his first ascent in a balloon was clearly an enthusiast, and Alberto Santos-Dumont, who wrote those lines, was not only an enthusiast himself but one whose exploits aroused the interest of others. Nature made Santos-Dumont a very small, slim, slight man, weighing hardly more than one hundred pounds, but very active and muscular.
He was living in Paris, though he has been a frequent visitor to England and America. Azilian. Search the PopSci Archives. About the Airship Resources. Alberto Santos Dumont. Alberto Santos Dumont.