Albert Ziegler (pilot)
Albert Ziegler (born April 9, 1888 in Zeiden , Austria-Hungary , today Romania , † 1946 in Halle an der Saale ) was a Romanian-German aviation pioneer and the first Transylvanian-Saxon aviator.
Life
Albert Ziegler was born on April 9, 1888 as the son of simple farmers in Zeidner Langgasse. Even as a boy he was enthusiastic about flying. He made two large umbrellas and jumped with them from the stable roof into the parental courtyard. After primary school in Zeiden, he learned the locksmith's trade in his hometown, and later in the nearby district capital of Kronstadt . As an apprentice, he built an engine for which he received a diploma and the golden price of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry at an exhibition.
Since his home was too small for him and he wanted to expand and enrich his knowledge, he moved abroad. In French-speaking Switzerland , he worked in the engine and automotive sector. Since Paris was the most advanced at that time, he spent two full years there. In 1908 he moved to London and traveled through England and Scotland . From there his path soon led him to Berlin and Vienna ( Aspern ).
In Berlin he made himself available to the "International Airship House" for experimental purposes. In April 1912, the Siemens-Schuckert company gave him a shed with office space and the necessary tools, as well as a 50 hp engine for study purposes. With this engine, Ziegler built his "arrow plane" according to his own plans, with which he had made successful flights in July 1913. In 1913 Ziegler returned to his homeland and undertook a series of sightseeing tours. He wanted to use the income from this for the realization of his own self-invented aircraft project. Albert Ziegler undertook the first exhibition flight on Sunday, October 19, 1913, at the Weidenbach airfield , 300 meters above the heads of the spectators and in an arc over Zeiden. On the same day it started for the second time, climbed higher, flew over Kronstadt, the Kronstädter Mountains towards Petersberg , Brenndorf , close to Heldsdorf towards the western edge of the Burzenland and finally higher than the Zeiden Berg over all of Zeiden. After landing, Ziegler was received by an enthusiastic crowd in Zeiden.
In addition to the Kronstädter Zeitung , the Gazeta Transilvaniei and the Brasso Naplo reported on Ziegler's sightseeing flights in an appreciative manner. The plane reached an altitude of 500 meters in four minutes; the petrol tank held 175 liters, sufficient for a distance of 500 kilometers. The wingspan was 12 meters and the length of the fuselage was 9.50 meters. With a dead weight of 650 kilograms, the flying machine reached an hourly speed of 120 km / h and could still pick up 400 kilograms. In addition to the pilot, there was room for two passengers.
Ziegler wanted to continue his sightseeing flights in Saxon-Regen and other cities, but was prevented from doing so by the early outbreak of the First World War . He had to load his flying machine from Sächsisch-Regen to Austria ; that was estimated by the army administration at 29,000 crowns. During the war he was chief pilot of the Austro-Hungarian Lloyd aircraft factory and worked as a flight instructor.
After the Second World War , Albert Ziegler died in 1946 in Halle an der Saale, far from home .
literature
- Ewald Metter: A great aviation pioneer from Zeiden. In 1913 Albert Ziegler made his first sightseeing flights in Transylvania. In: Neuer Weg , October 1983.
Web links
- Well-known Romanians, aviation pioneers ( Memento from May 4, 2003 in the Internet Archive )
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Ziegler, Albert |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Romanian-German aviation pioneer and first Transylvanian-Saxon aviator |
| DATE OF BIRTH | April 9, 1888 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Zeiden , Austria-Hungary , now Romania |
| DATE OF DEATH | 1946 |
| Place of death | Halle (Saale) |