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Stamer, Friedrich 'Fritz'

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Born: 1897-11-28. Died: 1969-12-20.

Stamer was a pilot in World War I, shot down in 1918 and interned as a POW until 1920. He led the Wasserkuppe gliding school from 1921, joining the Nazi Party in 1932, During World War II he was an instructor for military transport glider pilots. As of January 1947, he was identified by the Americans as a person of interest, and living at Freilassing, Upper Bavaria Wielandshag. After the war he was a founder of the German Aero Club (DAeC).

• Birth of Friedrich 'Fritz' Stamer. - . Related Persons: Stamer. German pilot of first rocket-boosted glider. Stamer was the first soaring-teacher at the Wasserkuppe, flew the first rocket airplane and constructed a wide range of gliders..

• First manned rocket-powered aircraft flight. - . Crew: Stamer. Nation: Germany. Related Persons: Lippisch, Opel, Stamer.

  A rocket-boosted glider is flown by Friedrich Stamer from the Rhoen Mountains in Western Germany. The development was funded by Opel, the canard-layout glider designed by Hans Lippisch, and the powder rockets developed by Sander. As in the Opel ground vehicles, a boost rocket (360 kgf for 3 seconds) was to accelerate the glider down the launch ramp. A sustainer rocket (20 kgf for 30 seconds) would keep the aircraft in flight. It was hoped to develop a method of launching gliders that would allow the pilot to get airborne without assistance - that did not require a tow aircraft or the eight-man crew needed to pull back the rubber band on existing rail launchers. Tests with smaller motors in models showed the high-thrust motors were too powerful, so the full-scale tests used a standard rubber-band rail launcher with only the low thrust motors installed. After two attempted flights, Stamer finally made a successful flight, firing two 20 kgf motors one after the other. The glider flew about 1.5 km in 70 seconds. On the second flight the first motor exploded, setting the aircraft on fire. Stamer landed successfully but further attempts were abandoned.

• Death of Friedrich 'Fritz' Stamer. - . Related Persons: Stamer. German pilot of first rocket-boosted glider. Stamer was the first soaring-teacher at the Wasserkuppe, flew the first rocket airplane and constructed a wide range of gliders..