Wolf Hirth
Encyclopedia
Wolfram Kurt Erhard Hirth (February 28, 1900 – July 25, 1959) was a German
gliding
pioneer and sailplane designer. He was a co-founder of Schempp-Hirth
, still a renowned glider (sailplane)
manufacturer.
Hirth was born in Stuttgart
, the son of an engineer and tool-maker. He was the younger brother of Hellmuth
, who founded the famous Hirth
aircraft engine
manufacturing company.
As a young man, Hirth took up gliding and was soon drawn to the Wasserkuppe
, then the focus of the German gliding movement, earning his pilot's licence in 1920. In 1924, Hirth lost a leg after a motorcycle
accident. From then on, he would fly while wearing a wooden prosthesis
. He had the fibula from his amputated leg fashioned into a cigarette holder
In 1928, he graduated from the Technical University of Stuttgart
with a diploma in engineering and began to focus on aircraft construction. Over the next decade, he would also tour the world, promoting gliding throughout Europe
, the United States
, Japan
, South America
, and South Africa
. On 10 March 1931 he gave a demonstration of glider aerobatics over New York City. On one of these publicity trips, he suffered major injuries in a crash in Hungary
, requiring a hospital stay of four months. He and Robert Kronfeld
were the first pilots to gain the Silver C badge. He was the chief flying instructor at the Grunau Gliding School in the Riesengebirge mountains, then in Germany.
Wolf Hirth also took part in International Championships of Touring Aircraft Challenge 1929
, Challenge 1932
(6th place) and Challenge 1934
(13th place). After some time in the USA he returned to Germany in 1934 because of US economic depression.
With the assistance of Wolf Hirth, Martin Schempp
founded his own company in Göppingen in 1935: "Sportflugzeugbau Göppingen Martin Schempp". In 1938, Wolf Hirth, mainly responsible for the design work, officially became a partner in the company, which then took on the new name “Sportflugzeugbau Schempp-Hirth
”. The company relocated to Kirchheim-Teck the same year. The company first manufactured a small training glider, the Göppingen Gö 1, intended to rival the Grunau Baby. The company's first real success, however, was the Gö 3 Minimoa, a distinctive aircraft with an elegant gull wing
design that was used to break several world records and win championships around the world.
Hirth continued to direct the firm throughout World War II
. In 1940 the company began manufacturing assembly parts for Messerschmitt Me 323
and Me 109 and other aircraft. From 1945 the company made furniture and other wooden components for industry until glider production could begin again in 1951. He was elected President of the German Aero-Club in 1956.
He had a heart attack while flying his Lo-150
aerobatic glider in 1959 and died in the subsequent crash.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
gliding
Gliding
Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive air sport in which pilots fly unpowered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes using naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to remain airborne. The word soaring is also used for the sport.Gliding as a sport began in the 1920s...
pioneer and sailplane designer. He was a co-founder of Schempp-Hirth
Schempp-Hirth
Schempp-Hirth Flugzeugbau GmbH is a glider manufacturer based in Kirchheim unter Teck, Germany.-History:Martin Schempp founded his own company in Göppingen in 1935, with the assistance of Wolf Hirth. The company was initially called "Sportflugzeugbau Göppingen Martin Schempp"...
, still a renowned glider (sailplane)
Glider (sailplane)
A glider or sailplane is a type of glider aircraft used in the sport of gliding. Some gliders, known as motor gliders are used for gliding and soaring as well, but have engines which can, in some cases, be used for take-off or for extending a flight...
manufacturer.
Hirth was born 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 ....
, the son of an engineer and tool-maker. He was the younger brother of Hellmuth
Hellmuth Hirth
Hellmuth Hirth was a German engineer who founded the Mahle GmbH and Hirth companies, manufacturing engine components and complete aircraft engines respectively.Hirth was born in Heilbronn, the son of an engineer and tool-maker...
, who founded the famous Hirth
Hirth
Göbler-Hirthmotoren GmbH is an aircraft engine manufacturer based in Benningen, Germany.The company was founded by Hellmuth Hirth in 1920 as Hellmuth Hirth Versuchsbau, renamed Leichtmetall-Werke GmbH and finally Elektronmetall GmbH as a manufacturer of light alloy engine components, including...
aircraft engine
Aircraft engine
An aircraft engine is the component of the propulsion system for an aircraft that generates mechanical power. Aircraft engines are almost always either lightweight piston engines or gas turbines...
manufacturing company.
As a young man, Hirth took up gliding and was soon drawn to the Wasserkuppe
Wasserkuppe
The Wasserkuppe is a high plateau , the highest peak in the Rhön Mountains within the German state of Hessen. Between the first and second World Wars, during the era of the so-called Golden Age of Aviation, great advances in sailplane development were made there.Remark: The German wording takes its...
, then the focus of the German gliding movement, earning his pilot's licence in 1920. In 1924, Hirth lost a leg after a motorcycle
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
accident. From then on, he would fly while wearing a wooden prosthesis
Prosthesis
In medicine, a prosthesis, prosthetic, or prosthetic limb is an artificial device extension that replaces a missing body part. It is part of the field of biomechatronics, the science of using mechanical devices with human muscle, skeleton, and nervous systems to assist or enhance motor control...
. He had the fibula from his amputated leg fashioned into a cigarette holder
In 1928, he graduated from the Technical University of Stuttgart
University of Stuttgart
The University of Stuttgart is a university located in Stuttgart, Germany. It was founded in 1829 and is organized in 10 faculties....
with a diploma in engineering and began to focus on aircraft construction. Over the next decade, he would also tour the world, promoting gliding throughout Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
, and South Africa
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. On 10 March 1931 he gave a demonstration of glider aerobatics over New York City. On one of these publicity trips, he suffered major injuries in a crash in Hungary
Hungary
Hungary , officially the Republic of Hungary , is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is situated in the Carpathian Basin and is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine and Romania to the east, Serbia and Croatia to the south, Slovenia to the southwest and Austria to the west. The...
, requiring a hospital stay of four months. He and Robert Kronfeld
Robert Kronfeld
Squadron Leader Robert Kronfeld, AFC, was an Austrian-born gliding champion and sailplane designer of the 1920s and 30s. He became a British subject and an RAF test pilot...
were the first pilots to gain the Silver C badge. He was the chief flying instructor at the Grunau Gliding School in the Riesengebirge mountains, then in Germany.
Wolf Hirth also took part in International Championships of Touring Aircraft Challenge 1929
Challenge 1929
The Challenge 1929 was the first FAI International Tourist Plane Contest , that took place between August 4 and August 16, 1929 in Paris, France. Four Challenges, from 1929 to 1934, were major aviation events in pre-war Europe.-Overview:...
, Challenge 1932
Challenge 1932
The Challenge 1932 was the third FAI International Tourist Plane Contest , that took place between 12 and August 28, 1932 in Berlin, Germany. The four Challenges, from 1929 to 1934, were major aviation events in pre-war Europe.-Overview:...
(6th place) and Challenge 1934
Challenge 1934
The Challenge 1934 was the fourth and last FAI International Tourist Plane Contest , that took place between August 28 and September 16, 1934 in Warsaw, Poland. The four Challenges, from 1929 to 1934, were major aviation events in pre-war Europe...
(13th place). After some time in the USA he returned to Germany in 1934 because of US economic depression.
With the assistance of Wolf Hirth, Martin Schempp
Martin Schempp
Martin Schempp was a glider pilot and founder of Schempp-Hirth, a major manufacturer of gliders.Martin Schempp was born in Stuttgart. After completing his commercial education, he helped out in his father's craftsman's business. In 1926, at the age of 21, he emigrated to the USA in the hope of...
founded his own company in Göppingen in 1935: "Sportflugzeugbau Göppingen Martin Schempp". In 1938, Wolf Hirth, mainly responsible for the design work, officially became a partner in the company, which then took on the new name “Sportflugzeugbau Schempp-Hirth
Schempp-Hirth
Schempp-Hirth Flugzeugbau GmbH is a glider manufacturer based in Kirchheim unter Teck, Germany.-History:Martin Schempp founded his own company in Göppingen in 1935, with the assistance of Wolf Hirth. The company was initially called "Sportflugzeugbau Göppingen Martin Schempp"...
”. The company relocated to Kirchheim-Teck the same year. The company first manufactured a small training glider, the Göppingen Gö 1, intended to rival the Grunau Baby. The company's first real success, however, was the Gö 3 Minimoa, a distinctive aircraft with an elegant gull wing
Gull wing
The gull wing is an aircraft's wing configuration with a prominent bend in the wing somewhere along the span, generally near the wing root. Its name is derived from the seabirds which it resembles. It has been incorporated in aircraft for many reasons....
design that was used to break several world records and win championships around the world.
Hirth continued to direct the firm throughout World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. In 1940 the company began manufacturing assembly parts for Messerschmitt Me 323
Messerschmitt Me 323
The Messerschmitt Me 323 Gigant was a German military transport aircraft of World War II. It was a powered variant of the Me 321 military glider and was the largest land-based transport aircraft of the war...
and Me 109 and other aircraft. From 1945 the company made furniture and other wooden components for industry until glider production could begin again in 1951. He was elected President of the German Aero-Club in 1956.
He had a heart attack while flying his Lo-150
Vogt Lo-100
|-References:*Dietmar Geistmann, Die Segelflugzeuge in Deutschland, ISBN 3-87943-618-5*Georg Brütting, Die berühmtesten Segelflugzeuge, ISBN 3613022966*Martin Simons, Sailplanes, Vol...
aerobatic glider in 1959 and died in the subsequent crash.