August Euler (20 November 1868 – 1 July 1957) was a pioneer German aviator, aircraft constructor and the holder of the first German

pilot's license Pilot licensing or certification refers to permits for operating aircraft. Flight crew licences are regulated by ICAO Annex 1 and issued by the civil aviation authority of each country. CAA’s have to establish that the holder has met a specifi ...

, issued in 1909. After the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

, he became German Secretary of State for Air, until he retired in 1922. August-Euler-Flugplatz-Gedenkstein August Euler

Euler was born at

Oelde Oelde () is a town in the district of Warendorf, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located near Beckum. Geography Division of the town Oelde consists of 5 districts: * Oelde * Stromberg * Lette * Sünninghausen * Kirchspiel (with farmi ...

Westphalia Westphalia (; german: Westfalen ; nds, Westfalen ) is a region of northwestern Germany and one of the three historic parts of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia. It has an area of and 7.9 million inhabitants. The territory of the regio ...

and was educated at Oelde and at public schools in

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...

and

Aachen Aachen ( ; ; Aachen dialect: ''Oche'' ; French and traditional English: Aix-la-Chapelle; or ''Aquisgranum''; nl, Aken ; Polish: Akwizgran) is, with around 249,000 inhabitants, the 13th-largest city in North Rhine-Westphalia, and the 28th- ...

and from 1885 started a career in engineering. He worked for Seidel & Neumann, originally a sewing machine company, which later made cycles and motor cars. Euler took up cycle racing and then motor racing and became interested in aviation. In 1908 he started a company to build

Voisin Voisin (French for "neighbour") may refer to: Companies *Avions Voisin, the French automobile company :*Voisin Laboratoire, a car manufactured by Avions Voisin *Voisin (aircraft), the French aircraft manufacturer * Voisin, a Lyon-based chocolat ...

aircraft under licence. In February 1908 August Euler erected a building on the site of the

Griesheim Airport Griesheim Airport is a private airfield in Germany, located southwest of Griesheim (Hesse), Griesheim (Hessen); approximately southwest of Berlin. Formerly a NATO military airfield, it was closed in 1992. In 1996, a large part of the airfield ...

, which he relocated from Mainz castle, costing him 2,400 Marks. In that building he began aircraft production. In 1910 he set a German flying duration record by staying airborne for 3hr 6min. 18sec On 31 December 1909 he obtained German Pilot's brevet No. 1 and started a flying school. Before the First World War he moved his factory to Frankfurt and helped set up a German aircraft manufacturers' association. After the war he was appointed Secretary of State for Air with instructions to create a ministry for transportation, but with the restrictions of the Versailles Treaty they had little to do, and when the treaty was ratified in 1920 Euler resigned. Euler built a house in the Black Forest on the Feldberg mountain where he lived in retirement until his death in 1957. Although his services were requested by the Nazi government during the Second World War he resisted due to his age and remained retired. He was associated with many of the country's motoring and aviation associations and received many honorary distinctions for his early work.

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* {{DEFAULTSORT:Euler, August 1957 deaths 1868 births German aviators People from Warendorf (district) Engineers from North Rhine-Westphalia Burials at Frankfurt Main Cemetery Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany German aviation record holders