Engelbert Zaschka (September 1, 1895 in

Freiburg im Breisgau Freiburg im Breisgau (; abbreviated as Freiburg i. Br. or Freiburg i. B.; Low Alemannic: ''Friburg im Brisgau''), commonly referred to as Freiburg, is an independent city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With a population of about 230,000 (as o ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwee ...

– June 26, 1955 in Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany) was a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ge ...

chief engineer, chief designer and inventor. Zaschka is one of the first German helicopter pioneers and he is a pioneer of flying with muscle power and the folding car. Zaschka devoted himself primarily to

aviation Aviation includes the activities surrounding mechanical flight and the aircraft industry. ''Aircraft'' includes airplane, fixed-wing and helicopter, rotary-wing types, morphable wings, wing-less lifting bodies, as well as aerostat, lighter- ...

and automotive topics, but his work was not limited to them. Engelbert Zaschka is a prominent representative of the

rotary aircraft A rotorcraft or rotary-wing aircraft is a heavier-than-air aircraft with rotary wings or rotor blades, which generate lift by rotating around a vertical mast. Several rotor blades mounted on a single mast are referred to as a rotor. The Internat ...

, a class of rotorcraft systems - according to Zaschka. In 1928/1929 Zaschka developed and constructed the first collapsible and foldable small car (folding car) and in 1934 an early muscle-powered airplane.

Biography

Engelbert Zaschka came from a family of musicians, his father Wenzel taught zither and played in the

Freiburg Freiburg im Breisgau (; abbreviated as Freiburg i. Br. or Freiburg i. B.; Low Alemannic: ''Friburg im Brisgau''), commonly referred to as Freiburg, is an independent city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With a population of about 230,000 (as o ...

City Orchestra, his mother Emilie, née Rombach, was a

singer Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or withou ...

; he was the second oldest of four children. He grew up in the Scheffelstraße and in the Bürgerwehrstraße, where his father had the tenement house no. 11 built in art nouveau style in 1910. At the age of 14 he applied for his first patent, founded a "hobby flying club" in Freiburg-Wiehre and allegedly made his first flying attempts at the Freiburg Schlossberg. After attending the "Höhere Bürgerschule" in Freiburg, he went to Altenburg to study

engineering Engineering is the use of scientific principles to design and build machines, structures, and other items, including bridges, tunnels, roads, vehicles, and buildings. The discipline of engineering encompasses a broad range of more speciali ...

. Afterwards he worked as an engineer at Rheinmetall in

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in ...

and went to

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitu ...

in 1916. There he worked as chief designer at Orion Aktiengesellschaft für Motorfahrzeuge. In the 1930s and 1940s Zaschka was employed by the aircraft manufacturer

Henschel Henschel & Son (german: Henschel und Sohn) was a German company, located in Kassel, best known during the 20th century as a maker of transportation equipment, including locomotives, trucks, buses and trolleybuses, and armoured fighting v ...

. In Berlin, he was registered in 1926 in the

Neukölln Neukölln () is one of the twelve boroughs of Berlin. It is located in the southeastern part from the city centre towards Berlin Schönefeld Airport. It was part of the former American sector under the Four-Power occupation of the city. It featu ...

district of Lichtenrader Straße 59, in 1929 in Selchower Straße 15/16 near Tempelhofer Flugfeld, in 1934 in Flughafenstraße 21 and in 1943 in Weserstraße 34a. After the Second World War, he settled again in Freiburg im Breisgau, where he operated a workshop (vehicle factory. family

bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. B ...

s or Zaschka vehicle factory) at Türkenlouisstraße 47. Zaschka died on 26 June 1955 in his hometown Freiburg im Breisgau. Zaschka became one of the first German

helicopter A helicopter is a type of rotorcraft in which lift and thrust are supplied by horizontally spinning rotors. This allows the helicopter to take off and land vertically, to hover, and to fly forward, backward and laterally. These attribu ...

pioneers. His machine is a striking representative of the ''Rotationsflugzeug'' (Zaschka calls it "rotating airplane"). Chief Engineer Engelbert Zaschka pursued in 1929 in

, the approach of the ''folding-Zaschka three-wheeler''. This

city car The A-segment is the 1st category in the passenger car classification system defined by the European Commission. It is used for city cars, the smallest category of passenger cars defined. A-segment sales represent approx. 7-8% of the market i ...

concept was aimed to be cost effective and space saving by the vehicle could be folded after use sparingly. In 1934 Engelbert Zaschka completed a large

human-powered aircraft A human-powered aircraft (HPA) is an aircraft belonging to the class of vehicles known as human-powered transport. Human-powered aircraft have been successfully flown over considerable distances. However, they are still primarily constructed ...

. He was an inventor who held numerous international patents as it related to the helicopter.

Engineering Activities

Zaschka Helicopter

In 1927 Engelbert Zaschka of

built a helicopter, equipped with two

rotor Rotor may refer to: Science and technology Engineering * Rotor (electric), the non-stationary part of an alternator or electric motor, operating with a stationary element so called the stator *Helicopter rotor, the rotary wing(s) of a rotorcraft ...

s, in which a

gyroscope A gyroscope (from Ancient Greek γῦρος ''gŷros'', "round" and σκοπέω ''skopéō'', "to look") is a device used for measuring or maintaining orientation and angular velocity. It is a spinning wheel or disc in which the axis of rot ...

was used to increase stability and serves as an energy accumulator for a

gliding Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive air sport in which pilots fly unpowered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes using naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to remain airborne. The word ''soaring'' is a ...

flight to make a landing. Gliding in this case means a straight descent. He wanted to develop an efficient

propeller A propeller (colloquially often called a screw if on a ship or an airscrew if on an aircraft) is a device with a rotating hub and radiating blades that are set at a pitch to form a helical spiral which, when rotated, exerts linear thrust upon ...

drive. A swivelling propeller at the rear provided

propulsion Propulsion is the generation of force by any combination of pushing or pulling to modify the translational motion of an object, which is typically a rigid body (or an articulated rigid body) but may also concern a fluid. The term is derived f ...

and

rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (generally air or water). On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to counter adve ...

control. The machine was a combination of an

autogyro An autogyro (from Greek and , "self-turning"), also known as a ''gyroplane'', is a type of rotorcraft that uses an unpowered rotor in free autorotation to develop lift. Forward thrust is provided independently, by an engine-driven propeller. Whi ...

and a

. The principal advantage of the machine, Zaschka says, is in its ability to remain motionless in the air for any length of time and to descend in a vertical line, so that a landing may be accomplished on the flat roof of a large house. In appearance, the helicopter does not differ much from the ordinary

monoplane A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple planes. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing con ...

, but the carrying

wing A wing is a type of fin that produces lift while moving through air or some other fluid. Accordingly, wings have streamlined cross-sections that are subject to aerodynamic forces and act as airfoils. A wing's aerodynamic efficiency is e ...

s revolve around the body.

Zaschka Human-Power Aircraft (1934)

In 1934 Engelbert Zaschka completed a large

, the ''Zaschka Human-Power Aircraft''. Zaschka constructed the large human-powered tractor monoplane with a narrow wing spanning about 66 feet (20 metres). On 11 July 1934 he flew his large

, the ''Zaschka Human-Power Aircraft'', about 20 meters at Berlin's Tempelhof Airport without

assisted take off In aviation, assisted takeoff is any system for helping aircraft to get into the air (as opposed to strictly under its own power). The reason it might be needed is due to the aircraft's weight exceeding the normal maximum takeoff weight, insuf ...

Motorcycle: The German Orionette (1921-1925)

From 1921 till 1925 the design department of '' Orionette AG für Motorfahrzeuge'' in Berlin (Berlin SO 26, Oranienstr. 6), headed by Engelbert Zaschka, also produced some interesting unorthodox designs. '' Orionette'' is a historic German

motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle Steering, steered by a Motorcycle handlebar, handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: Long-distance ...

brand.

Folding Zaschka Three-wheeler (1929)

The space and parking problems of the

metropolitan area A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually ...

s were recognized in the 1920s. In 1929 Engelbert Zaschka invented a

three-wheeled car A three-wheeler is a vehicle with three wheels. Some are motorized tricycles, which may be legally classed as motorcycles, while others are tricycles without a motor, some of which are human-powered vehicles and animal-powered vehicles. Overv ...

. Zaschka's car was a folding three-wheeler, designed so that it could be taken apart within 20 minutes. The car could be "knocked down" into three main sections. It was capable of a speed of 25 to 30 miles an hour. Aspects of Zaschka's car were important to U.S. inventor and architect

Richard Buckminster Fuller Richard Buckminster Fuller (; July 12, 1895 – July 1, 1983) was an American people, American architect, systems theorist, writer, designer, inventor, philosopher, and futurist. He styled his name as R. Buckminster Fuller in his writings, ...

in the development of his

Dymaxion car The streamlined Dymaxion car was designed by American inventor Buckminster Fuller during the Great Depression and featured prominently at Chicago's 1933/1934 World's Fair. Fuller built three experimental prototypes with naval architect Starli ...

in 1933.synchronofile.com
Dymaxion - Synergetics Stew January 2009
/ref>

Reception

Composer

As a composer, Engelbert Zaschka created

popular music Popular music is music with wide appeal that is typically distributed to large audiences through the music industry. These forms and styles can be enjoyed and performed by people with little or no musical training.Popular Music. (2015). ''Fu ...

, including ''Slavoma - Der neuste Tanz'' (1925), which was recorded at least twice: by the orchestra

Bernard Etté Bernard Etté (September 13, 1898, Kassel - September 26, 1973, Mühldorf) was a German jazz and light music violinist and conductor. Etté was the son of a hairdresser and studied music formally at the Louis Spohr Conservatory in Kassel. He init ...

and the saxophone orchestra Dobbri under the direction of Otto Dobrindt. Furthermore, he wrote and composed the hit ''Wer hat denn bloß den Hering am Schlips mir festgemacht'' (1928).

Patents

* * * * * *

Publication

* Zaschka, Engelbert. ''Drehflügelflugzeuge. Trag- und Hubschrauber.'' Berlin-Charlottenburg: C.J.E. Volckmann Nachf. E. Wette. 1936. ASIN B001PE5XZ2. One of the first publications about helicopters. It is written in 1936 for airplane designers, as well as supporters of the rotary-wing aircraft construction.

Gallery

Image:Bundesarchiv Bild 102-09261, Engelbert Zaschka mit Rotationsflugzeug.jpg, Image:Bundesarchiv Bild 102-10105, Berlin-Tempelhof, Modell eines Kreisel-Flugzeuges.jpg, Image:Bundesarchiv Bild 102-10106, Engelbert Zaschka mit Modell des Kreisel-Flugzeugs.jpg, Image:Bundesarchiv Bild 102-12440, Rotationsflugzeug beim Senkrechtstart.jpg, Image:Bundesarchiv Bild 102-13806, Rotationsflugzeug.jpg, Image:ZASCHKA Human-Powered Aircraft 1934.jpg, Image:Zaschka - Drehflügelflugzeuge. Trag- und Hubschrauber. 1936.jpg,

Bibliography

* Fay, John Foster. ''The Helicopter: History, Piloting and How It Flies.'' David & Charles PLC. 1976. * Reay, David Anthony. ''The history of man-powered flight.'' Oxford/New York: Pergamon Press. 1977. * Nowarra, Heinz J. ''German Helicopters 1928-1945.'' Schiffer Publishing. 1991. * Besser, Rolf. ''Technik und Geschichte der Hubschrauber: Von Leonardo da Vinci bis zur Gegenwart.'' Bonn: Bernard & Graefe Verlag. 1996. * Grosser, Morton. ''Gossamer Odyssey: The Triumph of Human-powered Flight.'' Zenith Press. 2004.

TV documentary in which Zaschka is treated

''Große Ideen – kleine Flops: Geistesblitze von A bis Z.'' Documentary, Germany, 2016, 90 minutes, authors: Andreas Kölmel and Jürgen Vogt; Production:

SWR Fernsehen SWR Fernsehen is a German regional television channel targeting the states of Baden-Württemberg and Rhineland-Palatinate. It is produced by Südwestrundfunk (SWR) and is one of eight regional "third channels" broadcast by the ARD members. Hist ...

, German premiere: May 16, 2016
Information about the documentary

References

External links

*Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum Washington:
Zaschka
Articles

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

, June 4, 1927.

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...

, June 6, 1927. * ttp://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3965501 Aeroplane that rises vertically

The Argus (Australia) ''The Argus'' was an Australian daily morning newspaper in Melbourne from 2 June 1846 to 19 January 1957, and was considered to be the general Australian newspaper of record for this period. Widely known as a conservative newspaper for most ...

, October 27, 1928. * Pictures
The ''Zaschka Human-Power Aircraft'' and Engelbert Zaschka (Berlin, 1934)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zaschka, Engelbert 1895 births 1955 deaths Engineers from Freiburg im Breisgau German aerospace engineers 20th-century German inventors Cyclecars Businesspeople from Berlin