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REPORT
However, the primary subject of this article
are collections focused on mapping the
development of aviation. They are arranged
chronologically, from amateur beginnings to
the present. Among the persons who shaped
the introduction of German aviation, the names
of Otto Lilienthal and Hans Grade are well
represented. The first ever Czech (and Austro-
Hungarian) female pilot Bozena Laglerova is
connected to the latter. This lady went through
her training at Grade's pilot school in Bork near
Berlin in 1911 and then flew several times in
Germany. It is through her example that we can
realize the interconnectedness of Czech and
German aviation, as will be reminded several
times. The museum has a unique Jeannin
Stahltaube Type 11 airplane from that era,
which was interesting for that time due to its
advanced metal construction. This is exhibited
as it appeared serving with the Imperial Air
Force during the Great War.
German aviation experienced rapid
development during World War I, and this
period is also included in the exhibition. One
of the unique items is the tail section of a 1918
LVG C VI aircraft, with its original Lozenge
camouflage pattern covering. And by the way,
the museum staff also installed a display of
a tailor's workshop, where the lozenge covers
of the planes were sewn. Another First World
War aircraft is the Halberstadt Cl IV ground
attack aircraft, which is suspended from the
ceiling of the hall. Even the German footprint
in the construction and operation of airships
is not neglected and is primarily associated
with the name of Ferdinand von Zeppelin.
His impact on this facet of aviation needs no
reinforcement; he was already a legend during
his lifetime. Here, there is another connection
to Czech aviation, because one of the air
mechanics for the Count was Kamil Eduard
Laburda, a native of Sobeslav in southern
Bohemia. The collections are devoted to both
the war and post-war use of these air assets.
One of the three-dimensional exhibits consists
of several pieces of the structure and other
items from the transport airship Graf Zeppelin.
Part of LZ 127 Graf Zeppelin, dishes and menus from
German airships. [Photo: Petr Uzsák]
Jeannin Stahltaube Type 11, front view. [Photo: Petr Uzsák]
Jeannine Stahltaube Type 11 from the rear. [Photo: Petr Uzsák] LVG C VI with Serial Number 4418 visible. [Photo: Petr Uzsák]
INFO Eduard
15
November 2024