15 Facts About Ernst Heinkel

Dr Ernst Heinkel was a German aircraft designer, manufacturer, Wehrwirtschaftsfuhrer in Nazi Germany, and member of the Nazi Party.

Ernst Heinkel studied at the Technical Academy of Stuttgart, where he initially became interested in aviation through a fascination with Zeppelins, and in 1909 attended an international airshow in Frankfurt am Main.

Ernst Heinkel decided that flight was the future of transportation, and the following year he built his first aircraft, working from a set of plans by Henri Farman.

Ernst Heinkel's aircraft were used by the Austro-Hungarian army and Germany's Kaiserliche Marine during the war.

In 1921, Ernst Heinkel was appointed head designer of the recently re-established Caspar-Werke, but soon left after a dispute over ownership of a design.

Ernst Heinkel installed a similar catapult on the ocean liner Bremen for launching mail planes.

Ernst Heinkel hid his aircraft in dunes behind his plant and they were never discovered during inspections.

Ernst Heinkel noted in his memoirs that his company's relationship with Japan in the 1920s led to decades of cooperation.

Ernst Heinkel was designated a Wehrwirtschaftfuhrer by the German government for his commitment to rearmament.

Ernst Heinkel was passionate about high-speed flight, and was keen on exploring alternative forms of aircraft propulsion.

Ernst Heinkel donated aircraft to Wernher von Braun who was investigating rocket propulsion for aircraft, as well as sponsoring the research of Hans von Ohain into turbojet engines, leading to the flight of the Heinkel Ernst Heinkel 178, the first aircraft to fly solely under turbojet power, on August 27,1939.

Ernst Heinkel had been a critic of Hitler's regime, having been forced to fire Jewish designers and staff in 1933; he was a member of the Nazi Party, and was awarded the German National Prize for Art and Science in 1938, one of the rarest honors of the German government.

Ernst Heinkel retained two-thirds of the capital, but became chairman of the supervisory board.

In 1953 Ernst Heinkel began production of the Tourist scooter, followed by the Perle moped in 1954.

In 1959, Ernst Heinkel's company was sued by Edmund Bartl for being enriched by slave labour during World War II; however, the German Supreme Court dismissed his claims for filing too late, and ordered Bartl to pay court costs and attorney's fees.