August von Parseval (5 February 1861, in

Frankenthal Frankenthal (Pfalz) ( pfl, Frongedahl) is a town in southwestern Germany, in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. History Frankenthal was first mentioned in 772. In 1119 an Augustinian monastery was built here, the ruins of which — known, af ...

(Pfalz) – 22 February 1942, in

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 constitue ...

) was a German

airship An airship or dirigible balloon is a type of aerostat or lighter-than-air aircraft that can navigate through the air under its own power. Aerostats gain their lift from a lifting gas that is less dense than the surrounding air. In early ...

designer. As a boy, Parseval attended the Royal Bavarian Pagenkorps in

Munich Munich ( ; german: München ; bar, Minga ) is the capital and most populous city of the States of Germany, German state of Bavaria. With a population of 1,558,395 inhabitants as of 31 July 2020, it is the List of cities in Germany by popu ...

from 1873 to 1878, where he took the ''Fähnrichexamen'' (cadet exams). He then joined the Royal Bavarian 3rd Infantry Regiment ''Prinz Carl von Bayern''. An

autodidact Autodidacticism (also autodidactism) or self-education (also self-learning and self-teaching) is education without the guidance of masters (such as teachers and professors) or institutions (such as schools). Generally, autodidacts are individua ...

, he busied himself with the problems of

aeronautics Aeronautics is the science or art involved with the study, design, and manufacturing of air flight–capable machines, and the techniques of operating aircraft and rockets within the atmosphere. The British Royal Aeronautical Society identifies ...

. In the garrison town of

Augsburg Augsburg (; bar , Augschburg , links=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swabian_German , label=Swabian German, , ) is a city in Swabia, Bavaria, Germany, around west of Bavarian capital Munich. It is a university town and regional seat of the ' ...

he came into contact with

August Riedinger August Riedinger (9 October 1845 – 15 January 1919) Augsburg city archive was a German businessman who operated gas companies in Germany and Europe and also participated in balloon manufacturing. Life Riedinger was born in 1845 as the son o ...

and also came to know his later partner Rudolf Hans Bartsch von Sigsfeld, with whom he developed ''Drachenballons'': balloons used by the military for observation. In 1901 Parseval and Sigsfeld began building a

dirigible An airship or dirigible balloon is a type of aerostat or lighter-than-air aircraft that can navigate through the air under its own power. Aerostats gain their lift from a lifting gas that is less dense than the surrounding air. In early ...

airship. After Sigsfeld's death during a free balloon landing in 1902, the work was interrupted until 1905. By 1905, thanks to improvements in motor design, an appropriate engine was now available. His designs were licensed to the British

Vickers Vickers was a British engineering company that existed from 1828 until 1999. It was formed in Sheffield as a steel foundry by Edward Vickers and his father-in-law, and soon became famous for casting church bells. The company went public in 18 ...

company. Up to the end of the First World War, 22 Parseval airships (both non-rigid (blimps) and semi-rigid (with keels)) were built. In the late twenties and early thirties, four more

semi-rigid airship A semi-rigid airship is an airship which has a stiff keel or truss supporting the main envelope along its length. The keel may be partially flexible or articulated and may be located inside or outside the main envelope. The outer shape of the ai ...

s were built in accordance with the "Parseval-Naatz principle". Parseval is sometimes written Parzeval or Parceval, particularly in historical documents. The flights of each 'Parseval', like those of the

Zeppelin A Zeppelin is a type of rigid airship named after the German inventor Count Ferdinand von Zeppelin () who pioneered rigid airship development at the beginning of the 20th century. Zeppelin's notions were first formulated in 1874Eckener 1938, pp ...

s, excited great interest. In

Kiel Kiel () is the capital and most populous city in the northern Germany, German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 246,243 (2021). Kiel lies approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the southeast of the J ...

, a tavern closed in 2002 which had been named ''Zum Parseval'' upon the first visit of one of these airships in 1912.

Notes

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*
Tabellarischer Lebenslauf (German)
* 1861 births 1942 deaths People from Frankenthal People from the Palatinate (region) German airship aviators Airships of Germany {{Aviation-bio-stub

See also

Notes

External links