Bruno Werntgen

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Grave of Bruno Werntgen in the north cemetery in Bonn

Willi Bruno Werntgen (born March 17, 1893 in Beeck (Duisburg) , † February 25, 1913 in Hangelar ) was a German aviation pioneer and flight instructor.

Bruno was born the son of the businessman Mathias Buschmann. His mother was the aviation pioneer Tony Werntgen (1875–1954), who was the first woman in Germany to produce working flying machines. Bruno Buschmann studied mechanical engineering for one semester at the Mittweida technical center in 1909 . On May 14, 1910, Willi Bruno Buschmann received permission to use his mother's maiden name as a family name.

At the age of 16, Werntgen was considered the youngest aviator in the world at the time. Already working as a flight instructor, he acquired his 40th German pilot's license on December 13, 1910 in Berlin-Johannisthal. He was the soul of the airline that his mother ran in Köppern im Taunus (now Friedrichsdorf ), later in Cologne-Merheim and then in Hangelar near Bonn.

On May 1, 1911, the son completed a few flight laps in front of spectators, and later his mother also flew as a passenger. Bruno Werntgen, who was advertised as the “youngest pilot in the world”, subsequently took part in numerous flight competitions and shows across the country and also won prizes. It was often the main attraction at air shows in the Rhineland. In December 1911, however, the flight exercises were banned by the military administration, as potential espionage from the air was feared.

While trying out his own new design, he had a fatal accident on the Hangelarer Heide , where the Bonn / Hangelar airfield was later built . A street is named after him near the airfield, which is now in the urban area of Sankt Augustin . In Koblenz , where he was the main attraction of an air show on the Koblenz-Karthaus airfield in 1911 , the Werntgenstraße is named after him.

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The date of birth "GEB 20.3.1893" on the tombstone may have been confused with the date of baptism. According to the birth certificate, the date of birth is March 17, 1893.
  2. ↑ According to the facsimile of the birth certificate in Wirtz / Probst: Tony and Bruno Werntgen. P. 15.
  3. ↑ Wirtz / Probst: Tony and Bruno Werntgen. Pp. 14, 17.
  4. Jump up ↑ Jan-Peter Domschke, Sabine Dorn, Hansgeorg Hofmann, Rosemarie Poch, Marion Stascheit: Mittweida's engineers all over the world. Mittweida 2014, p. 132.
  5. ^ According to the registry office note dated June 6, 1910 on his birth certificate.
  6. ↑ Wirtz / Probst: Tony and Bruno Werntgen. P. 31 ff.
  7. ↑ Jörg-M. Hormann, Evelyn Zegenhagen: German aviation pioneers 1900–1950. Delius Klasing, Bielefeld 2008, ISBN 978-3-7688-2484-2 , p. 152.
  8. ^ Fatalities In Germany. (PDF) In: FLIGHT, MARCH 8, 1913. Flightglobal.com , March 8, 1913, p. 292 , accessed on July 27, 2016 (English): “While testing, on the 26th ult., A machine built by himself at Cologne, Werntgen fell from a height of 60 meters and received fatal injuries. "
personal data
SURNAME Werntgen, Bruno
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Werntgen, Willi Bruno (full name); Buschmann, Willi Bruno (maiden name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German aviation pioneer and flight instructor
DATE OF BIRTH March 17, 1893
PLACE OF BIRTH Beeck (Duisburg)
DATE OF DEATH February 25, 1913
Place of death Hangelar