Bruno Marek (balloonist)

Bruno Marek (born May 28, 1908 in Vienna , † February 23, 1987 in Vienna) was an Austrian aviation pioneer.

Life

After primary school in Maria Enzersdorf, Bruno Marek attended the BRG and the civil engineering department at the Mödling State Trade School.

The interest in flying began in Mödling at the IGÖS , the interest group of Austrian glider pilots . School gliders and a fuselage glider were built here. In the community he also met Josef Emmer , with whom he later also built hot air balloons. While Emmer was developing the petroleum burner, Marek designed the balloon envelope.

The balloon OE-Marek-Emmer-2 reached the altitude record in Prague with 7,819 meters. Another attempt was made in the same year from Vienna, where they reached a height of 9,374 meters. This record lasted until 1961. At that time, the expert for balloons was former Lieutenant Colonel Franz Mannsbarth .

He continued to develop balloons until 1938. During the Second World War , however, he was used as a civil engineer in the army. After the war he also started his own civil engineering company, Marek-Mörtinger GesmbH. but later had to be closed again. With his balloon developments, he laid the foundation for later record flights, such as those of Joschi Starkbaum , which he watched carefully until the end.

literature

• Reinhard Keimel : Aircraft Construction in Austria , 1999