1. Wolfram Kurt Erhard Hirth was a German gliding pioneer and sailplane designer.
11 Facts About Wolf Hirth
1. 2.
Wolf Hirth was a co-founder of Schempp-Hirth, still a renowned glider manufacturer.
3.
Wolf Hirth was the younger brother of Hellmuth, who founded the famous Hirth aircraft engine manufacturing company.
4.
In 1924, Wolf Hirth lost a leg after a motorcycle accident.
5.
Wolf Hirth had the fibula from his amputated leg fashioned into a cigarette holder.
6.
Wolf Hirth was the chief flying instructor at the Grunau Gliding School in the Giant Mountains, then in Germany.
7.
Wolf Hirth took part in International Championships of Touring Aircraft Challenge 1929, Challenge 1932 and Challenge 1934.
8.
Wolf Hirth first manufactured a small training glider, the Goppingen Go 1, intended to rival the Grunau Baby.
9.
Wolf Hirth continued to direct the firm throughout World War II.
10.
Wolf Hirth was elected President of the German Aero-Club in 1956.
11.
Wolf Hirth had a heart attack while flying his Vogt Lo-100 aerobatic glider in 1959 and died in the subsequent crash.