Norbert Riedel (* 1 April 1912 in

Jägerndorf Krnov (; , or ''Krnów'') is a town in Bruntál District in the Moravian-Silesian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 23,000 inhabitants. Administrative division Krnov consists of three municipal parts (in brackets population according to ...

Sudetenland The Sudetenland ( , ; Czech and ) is a German name for the northern, southern, and western areas of former Czechoslovakia which were inhabited primarily by Sudeten Germans. These German speakers had predominated in the border districts of Bohe ...

, then

Austria-Hungary Austria-Hungary, also referred to as the Austro-Hungarian Empire, the Dual Monarchy or the Habsburg Monarchy, was a multi-national constitutional monarchy in Central Europe#Before World War I, Central Europe between 1867 and 1918. A military ...

; † 24 February 1963 in Zürs am Arlberg,

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

) was an engineer and entrepreneur.

Life

Riedel studied mechanical engineering and worked in the 1930s, first with

Ardie Ardie was a company in Nürnberg, Germany that manufactured motorcycles from 1919 until 1958. The company's name derives from that of its founder, Arno Dietrich. At first Ardie made motorcycles with its own 305cc and 348cc single cylinder two-s ...

and then at

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Queen Victoria (1819–1901), Queen of the United Kingdom and Empress of India * Victoria (state), a state of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, a provincial capital * Victoria, Seychelles, the capi ...

. During the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, he developed a starter engine ("Riedel starter") for the first German

jet engine A jet engine is a type of reaction engine, discharging a fast-moving jet (fluid), jet of heated gas (usually air) that generates thrust by jet propulsion. While this broad definition may include Rocket engine, rocket, Pump-jet, water jet, and ...

-powered combat aircraft's powerplants. The starter system, which consisted of a Riedel 10 hp (7.5 kW)

two-stroke A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a power cycle with two strokes of the piston, one up and one down, in one revolution of the crankshaft in contrast to a four-stroke engine which re ...

flat engine A flat engine is a piston engine where the cylinders are located on either side of a central crankshaft. Flat engines are also known as horizontally opposed engines, however this is distinct from the less common opposed-piston engine design, ...

hidden in the intake, essentially functioned as a pioneering example of an

auxiliary power unit An auxiliary power unit (APU) is a device on a vehicle that provides energy for functions other than propulsion. They are commonly found on large aircraft and naval ships as well as some large land vehicles. Aircraft APUs generally produce 115&n ...

(APU) for starting a jet engine. A hole in the extreme nose of the centrebody contained a manual pull-handle (except for the BMW 003 engine) which started the piston engine, which in turn rotated the compressor. Two small petrol tanks were fitted in the annular intake. The engine was considered an extreme short stroke (bore / stroke: 70 mm / 35 mm = 2:1) design so it could fit in the hub of the turbine compressor. For reduction it had an integrated

planetary gear An epicyclic gear train (also known as a planetary gearset) is a Reduction drive, gear reduction assembly consisting of two gears mounted so that the center of one gear (the "planet") revolves around the center of the other (the "sun"). A carri ...

. It was produced in Victoria in

Nuremberg Nuremberg (, ; ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the Franconia#Towns and cities, largest city in Franconia, the List of cities in Bavaria by population, second-largest city in the States of Germany, German state of Bav ...

and served as a starter for the operational German

Junkers Jumo 004 The Junkers Jumo 004 was the world's first production turbojet engine in operational use, and the first successful axial compressor turbojet engine. Some 8,000 units were manufactured by Junkers in Germany late in World War II, powering the Mess ...

and

BMW 003 The BMW 003 (full RLM designation 109-003) is an early axial turbojet engine produced by BMW AG in Germany during World War II. The 003 and the Junkers Jumo 004 were the only German turbojet engines to reach production during World War II. W ...

jet engines, placed on the centreline of each of these, and was also meant for use on the

Heinkel HeS 011 The Heinkel HeS 011 or Heinkel-Hirth 109-011 ''(HeS - Heinkel Strahltriebwerke)'' was an advanced World War II jet engine built by Heinkel-Hirth. It featured a unique compressor arrangement, starting with a low-compression impeller in the intak ...

experimental jet engine, but relocated above the intake passage within a Heinkel-designed prefabricated sheet metal component instead. In 1947, he founded the ''Riedel Motoren AG'' in

Immenstadt Immenstadt im Allgäu () is a town in Oberallgäu, the southernmost district of Bavaria, Germany, in the German Alps. First mentioned in a 1275 administrative tract, it was granted town privileges in 1360, which makes it one of the oldest towns in ...

, where he designed the light motorcycle

Imme R100 The Imme R100 was a lightweight motorcycle made by Riedel AG from 1948 to 1951. It is noted for its simple and innovative design with many advanced features. With low cost and technical innovation, the R100 sold well, but reliability problems a ...

which was manufactured in series. By the end of 1951 12,000 units were built. In December 1949, Riedel began design work for the scooter ''Till Riedel'', however due to the insolvency of Riedel Motoren AG did not go into production in October 1951. In development was also an Imme with a two-cylinder engine. Victoria Swing 200 1955

After the bankruptcy of Riedel Motoren AG he went back to Victoria, where he developed the models Victoria Swing and the 200 cc two-stroke scooter Victoria Peggy. The "Peggy" was provided with a novel electromagnetic pushbutton circuit, electric starter, fan cooling and a propulsion unit swingarm. Also, the swing was equipped with the pushbutton circuit. Norbert Riedel died in 1963 in an avalanche.

References

;Notes ;Bibliography *

Federal Aviation Administration The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is a Federal government of the United States, U.S. federal government agency within the United States Department of Transportation, U.S. Department of Transportation that regulates civil aviation in t ...

, ''Airframe & Powerplant Mechanics Powerplant Handbook'' U.S. Department of Transportation, Jeppesen Sanderson, 1976. * Gunston, Bill. ''Development of Piston Aero Engines''. Cambridge, England. Patrick Stephens Limited, 2006. * * ''Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War II''. London. Studio Editions Ltd, 1998. * Lumsden, Alec. ''British Piston Engines and their Aircraft''. Marlborough, Wiltshire: Airlife Publishing, 2003. . * Rubbra, A.A. ''Rolls-Royce Piston Aero Engines - a designer remembers: Historical Series no 16'' :Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust, 1990. * * Thom, Trevor. ''The Air Pilot's Manual 4-The Aeroplane-Technical''. Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. Airlife Publishing Ltd, 1988. * Steffen Riedel
''Norbert Riedel: Geschichte der 'Imme' und anderer Konstruktionen.''
(Norbert Riedel: History of the 'Imme' and other constructions), Publisher: Podszun Spezial, Brilon, Germany, 15 June 2012, (German)

External links

* ttp://www.williammaloney.com/Aviation/AirVictoryMuseum/JunkersJumo004Turbojet/index.htm ''The Riedel Starter Motor'' In: Air Victory Museum – German WWII Junkers Jumo 004 Turbojet
Luca Fusari: ''Riedel-Starter RBA/S10''
* ''classic-automotive.blogspot.com:'

Bernies Bike Shed: ''Imme R100 (Riedel) 1950''
{{DEFAULTSORT:Riedel, Norbert 1912 births 1963 deaths German automotive engineers Jet engine pioneers 20th-century German inventors People from Austrian Silesia People from Krnov Engineers from Nuremberg Sudeten German people