Igo Etrich
Encyclopedia
Ignaz "Igo" Etrich Austrian
flight pioneer, pilot and fixed-wing aircraft
developer.
, where he came in contact with the works of Otto Lilienthal
. His main interest was in aviation
, the problems of bird flight. With his father, a factory-owner, he built a laboratory for developing aeroplanes. After the death of Lilienthal his father acquired some advanced gliders. After reading the books of Prof. Ahlborn about flying seeds, in 1903 he developed his first gliders (called Zanonia
) inspired by the flying seed of Zanonia macrocarpa. He worked together with Franz Xaver Wels and Karl Illner, two men who would become very important for future development and flying.
In 1906 Karl Illner was the first Austria
n to fly an Austrian-built glider
.
, where he had his second laboratory in the Wiener Prater at the Rotunde
. In 1907 he built his Etrich I, the Praterspatz (Sparrow of the Prater) there. Due to the low power (24 hp) of the motor and the limited space for flying, the plane was not a success.
In 1909 in Wiener Neustadt
the first airfield of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was founded. Etrich rented two hangars (or aircraft-sheds, as they were called then) and continued to develop his success, the Taube. Meanwhile his co-developer Franz Xaver Wels visited Paris
to study the planes of the Wright Brothers
and split with Etrich over the question of whether to build a monoplane or a biplane
.
In 1910 his Etrich II, the Etrich-Taube (Dove) made its maiden flight. This success was aided by another world-famous engine developer: Ferdinand Porsche
, who designed the reliable 65 hp Austro-Daimler
engine (reliability, a crucial factor in aviation, was poor in these days), which powered this plane.
In one of the first flights, Etrich nearly broke his spine when his Taube fell tail-first to earth. From then on, the skilled Karl Illner made all the flights for Etrich.
Etrich refined his Taube to meet the requirement of the military
, that a plane had to be able to land on a freshly plowed field.
In 1912 he founded his Etrich-Fliegerwerke in Liebau (today Lubawka
, Poland) and designed the first passenger plane with a totally closed cabin for the passengers, his Luft-Limousine.
Later he moved to Germany, founding the famous Brandenburgischen Fliegerwerke. From Liebau he took his major designer with him - Ernst Heinkel
.
Another aircraft designer, Rumpler, modified the design of the Taube slightly, claimed to be the developer and refused to pay licensing fees to Etrich. After a short dispute in court, Etrich conceded on the advent of World War I
, and made the design for his Taube freely available.
After WW 1 Etrich went to the newly-founded Czechoslovakia
, and built another plane: his Sport-Taube. Legend has it that it flew faster (equipped with only a 40 hp engine) than the Czech military planes of the time. The authorities claimed he built the plane for smuggling and impounded his plane.
The Sport-Taube can be seen at the "Technischen Museum Prague" .
” as well as the “Zanonia
” glider and a waving Igo Etrich sitting in the open cockpit of a plane.
Austrians
Austrians are a nation and ethnic group, consisting of the population of the Republic of Austria and its historical predecessor states who share a common Austrian culture and Austrian descent....
flight pioneer, pilot and fixed-wing aircraft
Fixed-wing aircraft
A fixed-wing aircraft is an aircraft capable of flight using wings that generate lift due to the vehicle's forward airspeed. Fixed-wing aircraft are distinct from rotary-wing aircraft in which wings rotate about a fixed mast and ornithopters in which lift is generated by flapping wings.A powered...
developer.
Education
Igo went to school 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...
, where he came in contact with the works of Otto Lilienthal
Otto Lilienthal
Otto Lilienthal was a German pioneer of human aviation who became known as the Glider King. He was the first person to make well-documented, repeated, successful gliding flights. He followed an experimental approach established earlier by Sir George Cayley...
. His main interest was in 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:...
, the problems of bird flight. With his father, a factory-owner, he built a laboratory for developing aeroplanes. After the death of Lilienthal his father acquired some advanced gliders. After reading the books of Prof. Ahlborn about flying seeds, in 1903 he developed his first gliders (called Zanonia
Zanonia
Zanonia is a monotypic genus in the flowering plant family Cucurbitaceae .The only species is Zanonia indica, a medium-sized liana found in the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia east to New Guinea. It has a number of subspecies.-External links:*** * KBD: Kew Bibliographic Databases of Royal...
) inspired by the flying seed of Zanonia macrocarpa. He worked together with Franz Xaver Wels and Karl Illner, two men who would become very important for future development and flying.
In 1906 Karl Illner was the first Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n to fly an Austrian-built glider
Glider aircraft
Glider aircraft are heavier-than-air craft that are supported in flight by the dynamic reaction of the air against their lifting surfaces, and whose free flight does not depend on an engine. Mostly these types of aircraft are intended for routine operation without engines, though engine failure can...
.
Career
The next stop of Igo Etrich was ViennaVienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, where he had his second laboratory in the Wiener Prater at the Rotunde
Rotunde
The Rotunde in Vienna was a building erected for the Weltausstellung 1873 Wien .The building was a partially covered circular steel construction, 84 m in height and 108 m in diameter...
. In 1907 he built his Etrich I, the Praterspatz (Sparrow of the Prater) there. Due to the low power (24 hp) of the motor and the limited space for flying, the plane was not a success.
In 1909 in Wiener Neustadt
Wiener Neustadt
-Main sights:* The Late-Romanesque Dom, consecrated in 1279 and cathedral from 1469 to 1785. The choir and transept, in Gothic style, are from the 14th century. In the late 15th century 12 statues of the Apostles were added in the apse, while the bust of Cardinal Melchior Klesl is attributed to...
the first airfield of the Austro-Hungarian Empire was founded. Etrich rented two hangars (or aircraft-sheds, as they were called then) and continued to develop his success, the Taube. Meanwhile his co-developer Franz Xaver Wels visited Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
to study the planes of the Wright Brothers
Wright brothers
The Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur , were two Americans credited with inventing and building the world's first successful airplane and making the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight, on December 17, 1903...
and split with Etrich over the question of whether to build a monoplane or a biplane
Biplane
A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two superimposed main wings. The Wright brothers' Wright Flyer used a biplane design, as did most aircraft in the early years of aviation. While a biplane wing structure has a structural advantage, it produces more drag than a similar monoplane wing...
.
In 1910 his Etrich II, the Etrich-Taube (Dove) made its maiden flight. This success was aided by another world-famous engine developer: Ferdinand Porsche
Ferdinand Porsche
Ferdinand Porsche was an Austrian automotive engineer and honorary Doctor of Engineering. He is best known for creating the first hybrid vehicle , the Volkswagen Beetle, and the Mercedes-Benz SS/SSK, as well as the first of many Porsche automobiles...
, who designed the reliable 65 hp Austro-Daimler
Austro-Daimler
Austro-Daimler was an Austrian automaker company, from 1899 until 1934. It was subsidiary of the German Daimler Motoren Gesellschaft .-Early history:...
engine (reliability, a crucial factor in aviation, was poor in these days), which powered this plane.
In one of the first flights, Etrich nearly broke his spine when his Taube fell tail-first to earth. From then on, the skilled Karl Illner made all the flights for Etrich.
Etrich refined his Taube to meet the requirement of the military
Military
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
, that a plane had to be able to land on a freshly plowed field.
In 1912 he founded his Etrich-Fliegerwerke in Liebau (today Lubawka
Lubawka
Lubawka is a town in Poland, in Lower Silesia Voivodship, in Kamienna Góra County. It is the administrative seat of Gmina Lubawka. It lies in the area of Central Sudetenland near to the border with the Czech Republic on the way across the Lubawka pass between the Karkonosze and Crow Mountains...
, Poland) and designed the first passenger plane with a totally closed cabin for the passengers, his Luft-Limousine.
Later he moved to Germany, founding the famous Brandenburgischen Fliegerwerke. From Liebau he took his major designer with him - Ernst Heinkel
Ernst Heinkel
Dr. Ernst Heinkel was a German aircraft designer, manufacturer, Wehrwirtschaftführer in the Third Reich, and member of the Nazi party. His company Heinkel Flugzeugwerke produced the Heinkel He 178, the world's first turbojet aircraft and jet plane, and the Heinkel He 176, the first rocket aircraft...
.
Another aircraft designer, Rumpler, modified the design of the Taube slightly, claimed to be the developer and refused to pay licensing fees to Etrich. After a short dispute in court, Etrich conceded on the advent of World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, and made the design for his Taube freely available.
After WW 1 Etrich went to the newly-founded Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia
Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...
, and built another plane: his Sport-Taube. Legend has it that it flew faster (equipped with only a 40 hp engine) than the Czech military planes of the time. The authorities claimed he built the plane for smuggling and impounded his plane.
Aircraft
The Etrich II can be seen at the "Technisches Museum" in Vienna, Austria.The Sport-Taube can be seen at the "Technischen Museum Prague" .
See also
Igo Etrich has recently been selected as a main motif for a euro collectors' coin, the Austrian Aviation commemorative coin, minted on February 28, 2007. This reverse side of the coin shows the “Etrich-TaubeRumpler Taube
The Etrich Taube, also known by the names of the various manufacturers who build versions of the type, such as the Rumpler Taube, was a pre-World War I monoplane aircraft. It was the first mass-produced military plane in Germany...
” as well as the “Zanonia
Zanonia
Zanonia is a monotypic genus in the flowering plant family Cucurbitaceae .The only species is Zanonia indica, a medium-sized liana found in the Indian Subcontinent and Southeast Asia east to New Guinea. It has a number of subspecies.-External links:*** * KBD: Kew Bibliographic Databases of Royal...
” glider and a waving Igo Etrich sitting in the open cockpit of a plane.
Source
- Igo Etrich: "Die Taube - Memoiren eines Luftfahrt Pioniers"