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ETRICH |
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| AUSTRIA/GERMANY |
Austrian Igo Etrich (1879-1967) experimented in aeronautics from 1899. After working with engineer Franz Wels he made a tailless glider with backswept wings in 1907. This was intended to be powered, and led to the Etrich Taube monoplane (bird-like, with backswept warping outer wings and fan-like tail) in 1909-1910. Object was inherent stability; first flight at Wiener-Neustadt in November 1909. Small-scale production (Etrich Flieger Werke) and competitive success followed, in U.K. and other countries and the type was imitated frequently. Early Etrich pilots included Hellmuth Hirth. Jointly with his businessman father, Etrich had a private experimental establishment at Josefstadt. Etrich A-1 and A-2 monoplanes served with Austro-Hungarian Army before First World War. Etrich Fliegerwerke GmbH established at Liebau, Silesia, in 1912, independent of Motorluftfahrzeug Gesellschaft of Vienna and Rumpler of Berlin, each of which held a license for the Taube. Rumpler built the type from 1911-1914, and other German makers built similar machines, as used by the German Army before and during the war. First product from Liebau was a remarkable three-seat cabin monoplane with wings of variable incidence and camber, and nosewheel landing gear. In 1914 the company was absorbed by Brandenburgische Flugzeugwerke (q.v.).
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 All the World's Rotorcraft |
