He invented the injector and the Giffard dirigible, an airship powered with a steam engine and weighing over 180 kilograms (400 lb).

The exhaust steam was mixed in with the combustion gases and it was hoped by these means to stop sparks rising up to the gas bag; he also installed a vertical rudder.

[citation needed] On 24 September 1852, Giffard made the first powered and controlled flight travelling 27 kilometres (17 mi) from Paris to Élancourt.

[3] However, he was able to make turns and circles,[citation needed] proving that a powered airship could be steered and controlled.

[6] In response to his declining eyesight, Giffard killed himself in 1882,[6] leaving his estate to the nation for humanitarian and scientific purposes.