Gottlob Espenlaub (25 October 1900 – 9 January 1972), nicknamed Espe, was an

inventor An invention is a unique or novel device, method, composition, idea, or process. An invention may be an improvement upon a machine, product, or process for increasing efficiency or lowering cost. It may also be an entirely new concept. If an ...

who specialized in early types of

aircraft An aircraft ( aircraft) is a vehicle that is able to flight, fly by gaining support from the Atmosphere of Earth, air. It counters the force of gravity by using either Buoyancy, static lift or the Lift (force), dynamic lift of an airfoil, or, i ...

, specifically gliders and rocket propulsion systems designed for them. He invented a number of different aircraft, focusing on tailless designs. Espenlaub co-founded the practice of

aerotowing Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive air sports, air sport in which pilots fly glider aircraft, unpowered aircraft known as Glider (sailplane), gliders or sailplanes using naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmospher ...

Aeronautic career

Espenlaub was born in Balzholz, since 1938 part of Beuren. As a young man Espenlaub served as a

joiner Joinery is a part of woodworking that involves joining pieces of wood, engineered lumber, or synthetic substitutes (such as laminate), to produce more complex items. Some woodworking joints employ mechanical fasteners, bindings, or adhesives, ...

to aircraft builders. He helped

Alexander Lippisch Alexander Martin Lippisch (2 November 1894 – 11 February 1976) was a German aeronautical engineer, a pioneer of aerodynamics who made important contributions to the understanding of tailless aircraft, delta wings and the ground effect in aircra ...

to build a style of glider in 1921 according to Lippisch's designs. The glider was subsequently dubbed the Lippisch-Espenlaub E-2 glider, due to Espenlaub's participation in its creation. Espenlaub began building his own rocket propelled gliders in 1928, conducting his first rocket test on October 22, 1929. His rocket glider for this test was dubbed the RAK-3 and it featured missiles attached to the wings. During the flight, these missiles caught the tail on fire, forcing an early landing. Due to this, many of Espenlaub's later designs would feature tailless gliders. After conducting further tests, he improved his design and then did another test with his glider in

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in the state after Cologne and the List of cities in Germany with more than 100,000 inhabitants, seventh-largest city ...

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

in 1930, achieving a speed of 90 kilometers per hour. He had already been known as a "renowned German sailplane pilot" before, because of his various designs and his piloting abilities. Therefore, he was asked to test fly numerous new kinds of aircraft, such as the A2 airplane in 1929 built by

Alexander Soldenhoff Alexander Leo Soldenhoff (1882–1951) was a Swiss artist and aircraft designer. Born in Switzerland, he lived much of his life in Germany. In 1906 he married Anna Zweifler from Glarus. They separated in 1947, only a few years before his death. ...

. Espenlaub also served as a theorist and implementor in terms of aircraft design and the future abilities of aircraft. He and

Gerhard Fieseler Gerhard Fieseler (15 April 1896 – 1 September 1987) was a German World War I flying ace, aerobatics champion, and aircraft designer and manufacturer. From birth to the 1918 armistice Born in Glesch (near Cologne), Fieseler joined the Imperial G ...

conducted a number of demonstrations in 1927 at

Kassel Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in North Hesse, northern Hesse, in Central Germany (geography), central Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel (region), Kassel and the d ...

on the idea of

and its feasibility in the air. It was the first time this idea was shown, and it became widely used after Espenlaub's and Fieseler's demonstrations.

Automotive designs

Both before and after the war, Espenlaub produced innovative

streamliner A streamliner is a vehicle incorporating streamlining in a shape providing reduced air resistance. The term is applied to high-speed railway trainsets of the 1930s to 1950s, and to their successor " bullet trains". Less commonly, the term i ...

automotive designs, but none were commercially successful."ESPENLAUB EXPERIMENTAL AERIAL and MOTOR CRAFT"
Rob Arndt

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Espenlaub, Gottlob 1900 births 1972 deaths German people of World War II German aerospace engineers People from Esslingen (district) Engineers from Baden-Württemberg