/2
When German glider pioneer Otto Lilienthal perished in a flying accident in 1896, an Austrian named Ignaz "Igo" Etrich acquired two of his gliders. Etrich went on to build many of his own designs, improving but not entirely deviating from the bird-like forms of his predecessor. The first Taube ("Dove") flew in 1910. After the German Patent Office invalidated Etrich's patent in 1911, dozens of companies began producing aircraft based on the design.
The Taube was stable in flight, which made it very attractive to the neophyte aviators of the time. Built by over fifty manufacturers in hundreds of configurations, the Taube was the most common type of airplane seen in Germany and Austria prior to World War I. It has the distinction of dropping the world's first aerial bombs (one-pound devices), delivered by Italian Commander Gavotti, on Turkish forces in Libya on November 11, 1911.
In 1914, during the first months of World War I, Taubes flew with the Central Powers armies in the role of scout aircraft. As new Allied aircraft began arriving at the front, Taubes became a serious liability; they were slow, unmaneuverable, and unarmed. As such, they were soon transferred to the role of training student aviators.
The Museum's Taube is a reproduction of the configuration built by the German firm Rumpler. The reproduction was built by master craftsman Art Williams for Doug Champlin, completed in 1984. It is equipped with a rare, original Mercedes D.II engine.
When German glider pioneer Otto Lilienthal perished in a flying accident in 1896, an Austrian named Ignaz "Igo" Etrich acquired two of his gliders. Etrich went on to build many of his own designs, improving but not entirely deviating from the bird-like forms of his predecessor. The first Taube ("Dove") flew in 1910. After the German Patent Office invalidated Etrich's patent in 1911, dozens of companies began producing aircraft based on the design.
The Taube was stable in flight, which made it very attractive to the neophyte aviators of the time. Built by over fifty manufacturers in hundreds of configurations, the Taube was the most common type of airplane seen in Germany and Austria prior to World War I. It has the distinction of dropping the world's first aerial bombs (one-pound devices), delivered by Italian Commander Gavotti, on Turkish forces in Libya on November 11, 1911.
In 1914, during the first months of World War I, Taubes flew with the Central Powers armies in the role of scout aircraft. As new Allied aircraft began arriving at the front, Taubes became a serious liability; they were slow, unmaneuverable, and unarmed. As such, they were soon transferred to the role of training student aviators.
The Museum's Taube is a reproduction of the configuration built by the German firm Rumpler. The reproduction was built by master craftsman Art Williams for Doug Champlin, completed in 1984. It is equipped with a rare, original Mercedes D.II engine.
Museum Lobby
