Daring men

Zeppelin and his influence on Stuttgart

When in December 1903 in Kittyhawk, USA the Wright brothers' Flyer I took off on its maiden 50m flight, hardly anyone in Europe took notice. Especially in the German Reich, Count Zeppelin with his airships, which were seen as a "product of Swabia" by the Württemberg population, was the undisputed star on the aviation stage.

Only five years later the situation had changed. In 1908 Louis Bleriot flew over the English Channel, and the aeronautical principle of "Heavier than air" was seen as a serious alternative to that of "Lighter than air".

Thus it was only a matter of time until the first steps were taken towards making the field more scientific in its approach, especially as the Kingdom of Württemberg considered itself a pioneer in aviation. And thus efforts were soon being made to establish a university chair in the field.

When the Zeppelin Memorial Foundation donated a sum of money with this aim in mind in 1911, the Chair of Airship Aviation, Aeronautics and Motor Vehicles (Professur für Luftschifffahrt, Flugtechnik und Kraftfahrzeuge) could finally be established. Alexander Baumann took over the chair, thus becoming the first full professor of aeronautics in the German Reich.

Baumann had held his first lectures as early as 1910, even before his appointment to the post. After his appointment, he ambitiously began to expand the discipline. Thus in 1912 he acquired a two-seater Wright aircraft as a teaching aid. His other duties included serving the central Württemberg authorities as an expert advisor.