Friedrich Hermann Wölfert
Encyclopedia
Friedrich Hermann Wölfert (17 November 1850 in Riethnordhausen
, Kreis Sangerhausen
- 12 June 1897 in Tempelhof (in Berlin
)) was a German publisher and aviation
pioneer.
, and he founded his own publishing company in 1873. He published over 50 books and newspapers, some of which he wrote himself. In the same year he married Christiane Trautmann, with whom he had two daughters.
After meeting the forester Georg Baumgarten in 1879, he became fascinated with airship flight and offered not only financial support but helped him further develop airships. Baumgarten had patented and experimented with his own airship designs, but his royal employer soon forbad him from airship work. Therefore they both continued work using Wölfert's name. Their first cooperative work, the (three gondola airship) flew in 1880-01-31, and crashed. In 1881 further models were built, all of them, non-rigid
designs. Due to their activities the was founded in 1881-09-08.
Wölfert neglected his publishing business, which was sold in 1881. After Baumgarten's death in 1884 he continued the work and built a series of seven airships, including the human-powered Deutschland which flew in Berlin.
After flying another airship in Dresden in 1887, a Leipzig illustrated newspaper printed a detailed account, describing it as a muscle-powered airship and hinting at a military project. Gottlieb Daimler
noticed this article and, after patenting his new petrol engine for airflight, invited Wölfert to Cannstatt.
On 1888-08-10 Wölfert's airship, driven by Daimler's so-called (Grandfather Clock) petrol engine, flew 10 kilometres from Cannstatt to Aldingen (part of Remseck am Neckar
) and back. Other flights were made in Cannstatt, Ulm, Augsburg, Munich, and Vienna. He also offered the use of one for military purposes to the Berlin airship department.
to build a hangar at the expo. At least three flights were made; one on 1896-05-20 reached the then record height of 1,940 metres.
Later flights included the delivery of Post
, from which some envelopes still exist. These successes led to support from the military and at the last, and fatal, flight at Tempelhof guests from Greece, China and Japan were present. Wölfert again named the airship Deutschland. It had a gas volume of 800 cubic metres and an eight horsepower Daimler motor. On 1897-06-12 it rose up about 200 metres but caught fire and crashed, killing both him and his mechanic. , a street not far from the accident site was named after him on 1930 August 4.
Riethnordhausen
Riethnordhausen is a municipality in the Sömmerda district of Thuringia, Germany....
, Kreis Sangerhausen
Sangerhausen
Sangerhausen is a town in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany, capital of the district of Mansfeld-Südharz, without being part of it.It is situated southeast of the Harz, approx. 35 km east of Nordhausen, and 50 km west of Halle...
- 12 June 1897 in Tempelhof (in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
)) was a German publisher and aviation
Aviation
Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:...
pioneer.
Early life
From 1870 he studied theology and philosophy at LeipzigLeipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
, and he founded his own publishing company in 1873. He published over 50 books and newspapers, some of which he wrote himself. In the same year he married Christiane Trautmann, with whom he had two daughters.
Human-powered airships
Non-rigid airship
A blimp, or non-rigid airship, is a floating airship without an internal supporting framework or keel. A non-rigid airship differs from a semi-rigid airship and a rigid airship in that it does not have any rigid structure, neither a complete framework nor a partial keel, to help the airbag...
designs. Due to their activities the was founded in 1881-09-08.
Wölfert neglected his publishing business, which was sold in 1881. After Baumgarten's death in 1884 he continued the work and built a series of seven airships, including the human-powered Deutschland which flew in Berlin.
Gottlieb Daimler's petrol engine
Gottlieb Daimler
Gottlieb Daimler was an engineer, industrial designer and industrialist born in Schorndorf , in what is now Germany. He was a pioneer of internal-combustion engines and automobile development...
noticed this article and, after patenting his new petrol engine for airflight, invited Wölfert to Cannstatt.
On 1888-08-10 Wölfert's airship, driven by Daimler's so-called (Grandfather Clock) petrol engine, flew 10 kilometres from Cannstatt to Aldingen (part of Remseck am Neckar
Remseck
Remseck am Neckar is a town in the district of Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated at the confluence of the rivers Rems and Neckar, about 12 km northeast of Stuttgart, and 7 km southeast of Ludwigsburg.-History:...
) and back. Other flights were made in Cannstatt, Ulm, Augsburg, Munich, and Vienna. He also offered the use of one for military purposes to the Berlin airship department.
1896 to 1897
Wölfert wished to present his airship at the 1896 (a large commercial exposition). A sponsor provided 50,000 MarkGerman gold mark
The Goldmark was the currency used in the German Empire from 1873 to 1914.-History:Before unification, the different German states issued a variety of different currencies, though most were linked to the Vereinsthaler, a silver coin containing 16⅔ grams of pure silver...
to build a hangar at the expo. At least three flights were made; one on 1896-05-20 reached the then record height of 1,940 metres.
Later flights included the delivery of Post
Mail
Mail, or post, is a system for transporting letters and other tangible objects: written documents, typically enclosed in envelopes, and also small packages are delivered to destinations around the world. Anything sent through the postal system is called mail or post.In principle, a postal service...
, from which some envelopes still exist. These successes led to support from the military and at the last, and fatal, flight at Tempelhof guests from Greece, China and Japan were present. Wölfert again named the airship Deutschland. It had a gas volume of 800 cubic metres and an eight horsepower Daimler motor. On 1897-06-12 it rose up about 200 metres but caught fire and crashed, killing both him and his mechanic. , a street not far from the accident site was named after him on 1930 August 4.