Breguet's Pre-1914 ID Challenge #003

[Breguet]

As it is early days in this challenge, we will allow it this once - BUT ONLY THIS ONCE!!

[Varese2002]

Interesting is that the archive of Hermann Dorner (1882-1963) is held by the Deutsches Museum. The archive is 12 Schachteln ('boxes') and contains

Korrespondenz, Manuskripte zu Vorträgen und Veröffentlichungen, Patentakten (vorwiegend zu Motorenentwicklung); Zeitungsausschnittsammlung zu Dorner; technische Zeichnungen und Skizzen teilw. in der Plansammlung

There is only a machine typed index.

Dorner was an important figure in German aviation pre-1914 and in the 1914-1918 war as chief designer of D.F.W. After the war he came in the motor car business.

Budding writers on early aviation have their work laid out here

Cheers

Kees

[Varese2002]

Just one extra picture of this little known but fascinating machine, which was quite succesfull in its day. This shows Hermann Dorner with his monoplane participating in the Berliner Flugwoche 1910.



Looking at the picture the construction has some characteristics of a car construction. Big water cooled radiator in front, 4-cylinder engine, flywheel, drive rod to the back of the fuselage, chain drive to the pusher propeller mounted high in the wing.

Looking from an engineering perspective this construction might be heavy and prone to malfunction (chains, rods).

By the way, the pilot did not have much room to sit straight

Cheers

Kees

[SCMc]

Thank you Airarticles and Kees for the photos.

Steve

[Airarticles]

Well, to follow rules of challenge, how I recognized the Dorner monoplane. I noticed quite wide distance in the undercarriage wheels and a pilot sitting under the shoulder wing so this fact pointed me out in memory that I saw it in this German Dorner design.

Regarding the question of Joegertler about my sources - I was working many years in Egypt, out of my home country Slovakia, and was in evenings just boring so I started to perform my hobby in early planes up to WWI. Sources I have are in vast majority collected from internet. I have made many folders in my computer. Every company or designer has a folder where I put any information of him or the planes. I am preparing the website about early planes, but it needs much more time than I have. Maybe after one or two years.

Cheers
Milan

[Varese2002]

Dorner did write a work on aeroplane engines in 1912 together with Walther Isendahl in the Autotechnische Bibliothek (which included a few books on aviation). The book must have been popular as it made at least 4 editions (edition 4 was in 1920).

Dorner, Hermann, and Walther Isendahl. 1912. Flugmotoren. Autotechnische Bibliothek, Bd. 38. Berlin: R.C. Schmidt & Co. 151 pages, illustrated.

Dorner, Hermann, and Walther Isendahl. 1920. ... Flugmotoren. Berlin: R.S. Schmidt & Co. 4., durchgesehene und verbesserte Auflage, 213 pages, illustrated.

The 4th edition appeared then in the Flugtechnische bibliothek (Volume 1).

Cheers

Kees

[Varese2002]

As Germany is preparing for all sorts of 100 years ago festivities in flying quite a bit is published on early aviation in the German language. Although not heavily publicized there has been published in 2008 a (small) volume on Hermann Dorner.

The volume appears in a series named Dokumentenreihe zum Flugplatz Berlin-Johannisthal 1909 - 1914 and is apparently privately published by Alexander Kauther.

Volume 11 (!) is about Hermann Dorner. "Der Einzelkämpfer Dorner" : aus dem Leben des Flugzeugbauers, Flugzeugführers und Unternehmers Hermann Dorner [ Loosely translated - "The lonely fighter Dorner" - from the life of the aircraftconstructor, pilot and entrepreneur Hermann Dorner ]. Book is 91 pages and heavily illustrated.

Book cannot be found at booksellers in Germany, perhaps one of our German forum members can help?

Book is located in the Deiutsche Natioonal Bibliothek (DNB) here

Cheers

Kees

[joegertler]

As I suspected, I found two more good images of Dorner history in the Original 30 page "Nationale Flugwoche" (National Flightweek) programs from Berlin-Johannistahl. The Dorner portrait photo is from the 7-13 August 1910 Program. The other photo of the Dorner in flight is from the 9-16 Okt 1910 Program. These programs have some pencil notes (in appropriate tables provided) on Dorner's (and other pilots and planes) performances, as obviously written by an eyewitness who recorded this in his program, while attending the meets. Dorner modified the tail from a smaller to larger tail at one point. It is only a guess that this shows the larger tail.

[joegertler]

Sorry, forgot to add the images:

[joegertler]

Found more in the Programs.
In the very First Johannistal Air Meet of 26 Sept-3 Okt. 1909, The program shows that Dorner was Entrant #12 with his 20PS 4 cy engine. It is noted that this is a record setting plane and was recognized for good takeoff and landing.