First alpine flights remembered

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Spelterini comes back down to earth near Bignasco in Ticino after his third alpine flight (1903) Eduard Spelterini © Verkehrshaus der Schweiz, Luzern

Mountain turned into art: the Laquinhorn. Eduard Spelterini © Verkehrshaus der Schweiz, Luzern

The Jungfrau glows against a light-blue sky (1904). Eduard Spelterini © Verkehrshaus der Schweiz, Luzern

Spelterini prepares his balloon for his fourth alpine flight, starting from above the resort of Grindelwald. Eduard Spelterini © Verkehrshaus der Schweiz, Luzern

The Arabian Desert, southeast of Cairo (1904). Eduard Spelterini © Verkehrshaus der Schweiz, Luzern

The pilot enjoyed this aerial view of Cairo from his lofty position, 800m above the Egyptian capital. Eduard Spelterini © Verkehrshaus der Schweiz, Luzern

Rock and ice, and the iconic Swiss mountain in the background, the Matterhorn. Eduard Spelterini © Verkehrshaus der Schweiz, Luzern

Spelterini (kneeling, with straw hat) during preparations for a flight that would take him from Mürren in the Bernese Alps to the Italian city of Turin (1910). Eduard Spelterini © Verkehrshaus der Schweiz, Luzern

This picture of Aiguille Verte and Les Drus in the foreground was taken at an altitude of 3,600m. Eduard Spelterini © Verkehrshaus der Schweiz, Luzern

Drawing the crowds: Spelterini lifts off from the mountain resort of Kandersteg in the balloon "Sirius". Eduard Spelterini © Verkehrshaus der Schweiz, Luzern

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Eduard Spelterini was the first to cross the Alps by air.

The pioneering gas balloon pilot and photographer was not only the first to see and photograph the Alps from above, but also took the first aerial shots of the Arabian Desert. He went on a European tour with his slideshow winning rave reviews.

Images: Eduard Spelterini © Transport Museum, Lucerne