View source for Friedrich Hermann Wölfert

'''Friedrich Hermann Wölfert''' (17 November 1850 in [[Riethnordhausen, Saxony-Anhalt|Riethnordhausen]], Kreis [[Sangerhausen]] &ndash; 12 June 1897 in [[Berlin-Tempelhof|Tempelhof]] (in [[Berlin]]) was a [[German people|German]] [[publisher]] and [[aviation]] pioneer.<ref name="Schulz">[[#Schulz|Schulz]]</ref>

==Early life==
From 1870 he studied theology and philosophy at [[Leipzig]], and he founded his own publishing company in 1873.<ref name="Schulz"/> He published over 50 books and newspapers, some of which he wrote himself.<ref name="Schulz"/> In the same year he married Christiane Trautmann, with whom he had two daughters.

==Human-powered airships==
[[File:Zeitschrift luftschiffahrt.GIF|thumb|1882 title sheet of the first German technical newspaper for airflight]]
After meeting the forester [[Georg Baumgarten]] in 1879, he became fascinated with airship flight and offered not only financial support but helped him further develop airships. Baumgarten had patented and experimented with his own airship designs, but his royal employer soon forbade him from airship work. Therefore, they both continued work using Wölfert's name. Their first cooperative work, the {{lang|de|Dreigondelluftschiff}} (three gondola airship) flew on 31 January 1880, and crashed.<ref name=Schulz/> In 1881 further models were built, all of them, [[non-rigid airship|non-rigid]] designs. Due to their activities the {{lang|de|[[Verein zur Förderung der Luftschifffahrt]]}} was founded on 8 September 1881.<ref name=Schulz/>

Wölfert neglected his publishing business, which was sold in 1881.<ref name="Schulz"/> After Baumgarten's death in 1884 he continued the work and built a series of seven airships, including the human-powered ''Deutschland'' which flew in Berlin.

== Gottlieb Daimler's petrol engine ==
[[File:Stuttgart-cannstatt-daimler-luftschiff-1888.jpg|thumb|Daimler-airship model of 1888]]
After flying another airship in Dresden in 1887, a Leipzig illustrated newspaper printed a detailed account, describing it as a muscle-powered airship and hinting at a military project. [[Gottlieb Daimler]] noticed this article and, after patenting his new petrol engine for airflight, invited Wölfert to [[Bad Cannstatt|Cannstatt]].<ref name=Schulz/>

On 10 August 1888 Wölfert's airship, driven by Daimler's so-called {{lang|de|Standuhr}} (Grandfather Clock) petrol engine,<ref name="Whale">George Whale, George 1995, Chapter II / Early airships and their development to the present day / Germany. "8 horse-power benzine Daimler motor drove a twin-bladed aluminium propeller"</ref> flew 10 kilometres from [[Stuttgart-Bad Cannstatt|Cannstatt]] to Aldingen (part of [[Remseck|Remseck am Neckar]]) and back. Other flights were made in Cannstatt, Ulm, Augsburg, Munich, and Vienna. He also offered the use of one for military purposes to the Berlin airship department.

== 1896 to 1897 ==
Wölfert wished to present his airship at the 1896 {{lang|de|[[Berliner Gewerbeausstellung]]}} (a large [[Exhibition|commercial exposition]]). A sponsor provided 50,000 [[German gold mark|Marks]] to build a hangar at the expo. At least three flights were made; one on  20 May 1896 reached the then record height for an airship of {{convert|1940|m|ft}}.<ref name=Schulz/>

Later flights included the delivery of [[mail|post]], from which some envelopes still exist. These successes led to support from the military and at the last, and fatal, flight at Tempelhof. Guests from Greece, China and Japan were present. Wölfert again named the airship ''[[Deutschland (1896 airship)|Deutschland]]''. It had a gas volume of 800 cubic metres and an eight-horsepower Daimler motor.<ref name="ea">[[#early|earlyaviator]]</ref>

On 12 June 1897 it climbed to about 200&nbsp;m (670&nbsp;ft)<ref name="ea"/> but caught fire and crashed, killing Wölfert and his mechanic.<ref name=Schulz/>

{{lang|de|Wölfertstraße}}, a street not far from the accident site, was named after him on 4 August 1930.<ref>[[#BSV|Mirko]]</ref>

==Citations==
{{Reflist}}

==References==

;Notes
{{refbegin}}
;Bibliography
* <cite id=Whale>Whale, George. 1995. ''British Airships, Past / Present / Future'', {{ISBN|1-4264-0074-8}}, BiblioBazaar (October 26, 2007) (also [https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/762 1996 Gutenberg version])</cite>
* <cite id=wikide>Editors of German Wikipedia [http://de.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Friedrich_Hermann_W%C3%B6lfert&oldid=47187721] ([[:w:de:Friedrich Hermann Wölfert|current version]])</cite>
* <cite id=Schulz>Schulz, Günter O. [http://www.luftschiffseiten.de/TextseiteGeschichteBaumgartenWoelfert.htm Luftschiffseiten - Geschichte von Baumgarten & Wölfert]. (German) (biography and photographs of Wölfert, Baumgarten and the airship) Retrieved 2008-08-10</cite>
* <cite id="BSV">Mirko. [http://www.alt-berlin.info/seiten/str_w_5.htm Berliner Straßenverzeichnis (Witt-Wüll)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090211021100/http://alt-berlin.info/seiten/str_w_5.htm |date=2009-02-11 }}. (German) (Berlin street index) Retrieved 2009-05-21</cite>
* <cite id="early">earlyaviator. [http://www.earlyaviator.com/archive/JPL1/1897.06.12.Wolfert.airship.Deutschland_jpl.jpg 1897.06.12.Wolfert.airship.Deutschland_jpl.jpg]. (2 photographs, painting and brief history) Retrieved 2009-05-21</cite>
{{refend}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Wolfert, Friedrich Hermann}}
[[Category:1850 births]]
[[Category:1897 deaths]]
[[Category:People from Mansfeld-Südharz]]
[[Category:People from the Province of Saxony]]
[[Category:German publishers (people)]]
[[Category:Airship aviators]]
[[Category:Aviation inventors]]
[[Category:German aviation pioneers]]
[[Category:Airship designers]]
[[Category:German airship aviators]]
[[Category:19th-century German inventors]]
[[Category:19th-century German aviation]]