Paul Kollsman
Encyclopedia
Paul Kollsman was an American inventor. He invented barometers and instruments for instrument flight in airplanes.
Kollsman studied civil engineering
in Stuttgart
and Munich
. In 1923 he emigrated from Germany to the USA. He worked as truck-driver until he found a position at Pioneer Instruments Co. in Brooklyn
/New York
. In 1928 he founded his own company, Kollsman Instruments Co., with $500 of seed money.
He was searching for the right opportunity to launch his product a long time until Jimmy Doolittle
flight tested his instruments. His instruments were later used in the NASA
Apollo program. The altimeter setting window of the sensitive aircraft altimeter
is named the "Kollsman Window" after him.
In 1939, Kollsman, who was then residing in Greenwich, Conn., sold his company for more than $4,000,000. In 1940 he purchased 800 acres (3.2 km²) of land outside of Manchester Vermont from International Paper Company, and founded Snow Valley, which formally opened in January 1942, and was one of the earliest ski areas in the United States. Snow Valley operated continuously until 1984, and in 1983 hosted the first U.S. Open Snowboarding Championships (now held annually at Stratton Vermont). Snow Valley is being redeveloped as a private sporting community.
In 1944 Kollsman married Baroness Julie Dorothea Baronin von Bodenhausen in New York City. In 1945 Kollsman purchased The Enchanted Hill, a fabulous estate in Beverly Hills, California, which contained a Mediterranean Revival main house of 10,000 square feet (with 12 acres (48,562.3 m²) of formal gardens) which Mr. Kollsman eventually augmented to 120 acre (0.4856232 km²), designed by acclaimed architect Wallace Neff. The estate, which was described by architectural historian Sam Watters as “fantastical”, had been built in 1925 at the top of Angelo Drive by MGM screenwriter Frances Marion and her cowboy-star husband, Frederick Clifton Thomson. Among other features, the estate included a mahogany-floored stable for Thomson’s horse "Silver King". It was considered one of the finest estates in all of Los Angeles, and has been called a “poetic hilltop paradise, a timeless homage to the natural beauty that was once Los Angeles.” Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen acquired the estate from Kollsman’s widow in 1997 for $20 million and razed the landmark house in 2000, with plans to build two 50000 square feet (4,645.2 m²) mansions in its place.
Kollsman died in Beverly Hills, California in 1982.
Kollsman studied civil engineering
Civil engineering
Civil engineering is a professional engineering discipline that deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of the physical and naturally built environment, including works like roads, bridges, canals, dams, and buildings...
in Stuttgart
Stuttgart
Stuttgart is the capital of the state of Baden-Württemberg in southern Germany. The sixth-largest city in Germany, Stuttgart has a population of 600,038 while the metropolitan area has a population of 5.3 million ....
and Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
. In 1923 he emigrated from Germany to the USA. He worked as truck-driver until he found a position at Pioneer Instruments Co. in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
/New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. In 1928 he founded his own company, Kollsman Instruments Co., with $500 of seed money.
He was searching for the right opportunity to launch his product a long time until Jimmy Doolittle
Jimmy Doolittle
General James Harold "Jimmy" Doolittle, USAF was an American aviation pioneer. Doolittle served as a brigadier general, major general and lieutenant general in the United States Army Air Forces during the Second World War...
flight tested his instruments. His instruments were later used in the NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
Apollo program. The altimeter setting window of the sensitive aircraft altimeter
Altimeter
An altimeter is an instrument used to measure the altitude of an object above a fixed level. The measurement of altitude is called altimetry, which is related to the term bathymetry, the measurement of depth underwater.-Pressure altimeter:...
is named the "Kollsman Window" after him.
In 1939, Kollsman, who was then residing in Greenwich, Conn., sold his company for more than $4,000,000. In 1940 he purchased 800 acres (3.2 km²) of land outside of Manchester Vermont from International Paper Company, and founded Snow Valley, which formally opened in January 1942, and was one of the earliest ski areas in the United States. Snow Valley operated continuously until 1984, and in 1983 hosted the first U.S. Open Snowboarding Championships (now held annually at Stratton Vermont). Snow Valley is being redeveloped as a private sporting community.
In 1944 Kollsman married Baroness Julie Dorothea Baronin von Bodenhausen in New York City. In 1945 Kollsman purchased The Enchanted Hill, a fabulous estate in Beverly Hills, California, which contained a Mediterranean Revival main house of 10,000 square feet (with 12 acres (48,562.3 m²) of formal gardens) which Mr. Kollsman eventually augmented to 120 acre (0.4856232 km²), designed by acclaimed architect Wallace Neff. The estate, which was described by architectural historian Sam Watters as “fantastical”, had been built in 1925 at the top of Angelo Drive by MGM screenwriter Frances Marion and her cowboy-star husband, Frederick Clifton Thomson. Among other features, the estate included a mahogany-floored stable for Thomson’s horse "Silver King". It was considered one of the finest estates in all of Los Angeles, and has been called a “poetic hilltop paradise, a timeless homage to the natural beauty that was once Los Angeles.” Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen acquired the estate from Kollsman’s widow in 1997 for $20 million and razed the landmark house in 2000, with plans to build two 50000 square feet (4,645.2 m²) mansions in its place.
Kollsman died in Beverly Hills, California in 1982.
Sources
- www.factmonster.com/ipka/A0931166.html
- www.thepeerage.com/p9503.htm
- www.infoplease.com/ipa/A0931166.html
- web.mit.edu/invent/iow/kollsman.html