The first airship to complete a flight on a closed circuit by returning to the take-off point. LA FRANCE was an 1,864-cubic metre (66,000 cubic feet) pressure airship powered by an 8.5 hp electric motor supplied from a battery. In a flight from Challais to Meudon near Paris on 9 August 1884, 7.6 km. (4.75 miles) were covered in 23 minutes. The top speed was 6.5 metres per second (nearly 15 mph).