English Channel balloon crossing, 1785. 19th-century illustration of French balloonist Jean-Pierre Blanchard (1753-1809) and US surgeon John Jefferies (1745-1819) passing over the cliffs of Dover during their journey to Calais, France, as they crossed the English Channel in a hot air balloon on 7 January 1785. This flight was the first across the English Channel. It took about 2.5 hours, flying from Dover Castle to Guines, near Calais. Artwork from 'Aerostation - Aviation' (1911) by French civil engineer Max de Nansouty (1854-1913), part of the 'Les merveilles de la science' series of 1867-1891 by Louis Figuier.