Imperial Aero Club
Following the founding of a research society for motorized airships (Motorluftschiff Studiengesellschaft), the Deutsche Aero Klub or German Aero Club was organized on 21 Dec. 1907 in Berlin for the purpose of encouraging aerial navigation. It appears that within a few weeks, the club received the protection of the German Emperor, Kaiser Wilhelm II, and became the Kaiserlicher (Kaiser's or Imperial) Aero-Club (KAeC). The KAeC joined the DLV (German Aeronaut Federation : Deutscher Luftschiffer-Verband), which see, on 20 May 1909. Publications include a members list in 1913 and a directory of its library in 1914. A handbook was published beginning 1914; editions later than 1918 were published under the name Aero Club von Deutschland, suggesting a post-war name change in 1918 or 1919.
Elections appear to have been held on 21 Dec. 1907. His Highness, the Duke of Saxony-Altenberg, became president and Duke von Arenberg, Admiral von Hollmann, Captain von Keller, General von Moltke, and Dr. Walter Rathenau were named vice presidents. In addition to the Kaiser and King as protector in early 1908, His Highness, the Crown Prince of the German Empire and of Prussia, was named honorary president. In 1910, there were 427 members of whom 116 were balloon guides. The club owned six free balloons, an airship, and a Wright biplane. The balloons all appear to have been hydrogen balloons for that was the fill at its balloon and airship place, the Wasserstoff-Fiilplatz, at the chemical factory Griesheim-Elektron II in Bitterfeld. The KAeC cosponsored with the Berliner Verein fur Luftschiffahrt and the Kaiserlicher Automobil Club, National Flugwoche (Flight Week) at Johannisthal, Berlin, 7-13 Aug. 1910.
The library of the Aero Club von Deutschland was united with other libraries in 1926 to form the Zentralbibliotek der Deutschen Luftfahrt. A publication, Satzungen des kaiserlichen aero-clubs (Crews of the Imperial Aero Clubs), was published, possibly in 1907, but recheck World Cat and other sources on this point.
Affiliated with DLV, 20 May 1909
Sources
- 3 Jahrbuch der Motorluftschiff-Studiengessellschaft 16 (1908-1910); 1910 Annuario dell' Aeronautica Primo 373 (Sept. 1910); 1910-1911 Jane's All the World's Aircraft 235 (Nov. 1910); 1911 Aero Manuel (1 Oct. 1910) 315; 1911 Braunbeck's Sport-Lexikon: Luftschiffahrt 57, 132-133; National Union Catalog Pre-1956 Imprints; WorldCat.org and WorldCat-OCLC
| Organization names | Imperial Aero Club (formerly German Aero Club) : Kaiserlicher Aero Club (KAeC) (formerly Deutsche Aero Club) |
|---|---|
| Entity type | |
| Country | Germany |
| City | Berlin |
| Affiliated with | DLV |
| Scope | Local |
| Started aero | 1907 |
| Ended aero | name change, ca. 1919 |
| Keywords | |
| Key people | |
| Wikidata id |
- Address: Office and clubhouse, 3 Nollendorfplatz, Berlin W. 30 (1910). Balloon and airship place and flight hall were at Chemischen Fabrik Griescheim-Elektron II, Bitterfeld; aeroplane flying was at Johannisthal, Berlin (1910).
|Phone=VI, 5999 and 3605 (1905) }}
