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Everything began with Alfred EversbuschReception held for commanders of the fighter pilots squadron at the Pfalz-Flugzeugwerke in February 1918. Standing 3. f. l.: Alfred Eversbusch Everything began with Alfred Eversbusch Thanks to the initiative of Alfred Eversbush, who at the time was 28 years old, Pfalz Flugzeugwerke was founded in 1913. He was the oldest son of Alfred Eversbush, who had an iron foundry in Neustadt an der Weinstraße. The company was founded due to the technical education and talent of Alfred Eversbush. The Eversbush family realized that the future lay in the growing aerospace industry - especially since the Bavarian Rheinpfalz didn't have any aircraft companies, and the transition from one-man-engineering operations to larger workshops was just taking place. So for the Eversbusch family the risk seemed rather low, even though more and more aircraft factories were springing up in the Prussian dominated part of the remaining German empire, and the founding of more factories was only welcomed when they were large-scale companies with a lot of resources. Since the financial resources of any single person were not big enough for business on that scale, three shareholders joined the company. Not only did the whole Eversbush family -Alfred Eversbush, his brother Ernst and his brother-in-law Willy Sabersky-Müssigbrodt- take part in the business, but also the Kahn Brothers, Richard and Eugen, as well as August Khan, who was of no relation to the others. The airplane of the Eversbush family built in Neustadt, 1913 On 3 June 1913 it was official The founding of 'Pfalz-Flugzeugwerke GmbH' was recorded on June 3rd, 1913 in Neustadt an der Weinstraße. about a month later on July 12th, 1913, the company was includet in the registry of companies at the district court in Ludwigshafen. A notation in the registry read as follows: The object of the company is the production of aircraft and the training of pilots as well as the undertaking of any activities suited to the company's requirements. The first aircraft building in Speyer, 1913 The company`s location right at Speyer`s new airfield Before the founding of Pfalz-Flugzeugwerke, Alfred Eversbush had already tried to lease property close to the new airfield in Speyer. By March 1913 he received a draft contract for the lease, since, at the time, the city of Speyer was very interested in the new 'aircraft production' industry. 2,000 m² could be bought for 10 pfennigs per m². In addition, for 50 pfennigs per day, the hangar of the flying club was leased to house planes that were technically cleared and ready to fly. The first Pfalz-Biplane made by employees from Pfalz-Flugzeugwerke, 1913-1914 After initial problems things got better rapidly Most likely for economic reasons PFW decided to produce aircraft under license. By 1914 their only aeronautical engineer, Willy Sabersky-Müssigbrodt, went to a different company as a designer. Due to this fact Alfred Eversbush consulted the Albatroswerke in Berlin-Johannisthal about obtaining a license; but, they only were interested in allocating a production license if they could become a shareholder in Pfalz-Flugzeugwerke. For that reason a contract was signed creating a new company: 'Pfalz-Flugzeugwerke Licenz Albatros GmbH' In the end, the new company didn't do any real business at all, because on August 5th, 1913 the Albatros GmbH asked for the agreement to be dissolved. After some legal skirmishing, the dissolution was accepted and the company again was registered as Pfalz-Flugzeugwerke GmbH. After cooperation with Albatros ceased, PFW started to look for a different solution to get the company going. The Bavarian company 'Gustav Otto Flugmaschinenwerke' in Munich was contacted. After initial doubts and due to a lot of effort on part of Speyer's mayor, PFW received a license from Gustav Otto to produce the Otto-Biplane with a push propeller. Prepaid post from Windhoek to commemorate 85 years of airmail, 1989 With the Otto-Biplane things start to improve After the delivery of the first Otto-Biplane prototype, the Pfalz-Flugzeugwerke started manufacturing the first airplane under license in the Speyer Festival Hall. They repaired used Otto-Biplanes, as well. The first airplane was ordered by the internationally well-known Rudolf Hertzog Company in Berlin. With the completion of their first airplane, PFW started an intensive promotion campaign, which brought to Tübingen on October 25th, 1913, the first plane to ever land in the little town. As early as May 18th, 1914 Bruno Büchner flew to Usakos with two stopovers. He had 60 letters on board, which were stamped 'Erster Flugpostversuch in DSWA' ('The first air mail trial in DSWA'). Seventy-five years later a 50 cent stamp and a pre-paid mailing commemorated this event. The 100-hp Rapp-Motor from the Pfalz-Biplane put on a train in Dar es Salaam, 1915 Demonstration flights in Africa The presentation of the first airplane toured from Africa via Karibib, Okahandja, Brakwater to Windhoek. As the British authorities didn't allow a flight via Cape Town (South Africa) to Dar es Salaam in German East Africa (today's Tanzania), the plane went by sea on the steamboat 'Khalif' from Lüderitz Bay to Dar es Salaam on July 4th, 1914. There, reassembled, Bruno Büchner was able to carry out another test flight before World War I began. The Pfalz-Biplane was requisitioned by the German colonial army and crashed during an expedition flight and a seaplane was built out of the remains. However, after discovering there was no fuel, the plane engine was put on a train, and two transports moved it from Dar es Salaam to Morogoro. First big production building of Pfalz-Flugzeugwerke in Speyer, 1914. The construction of PFW`s first production building On February 6th, 1914 the city council of Speyer decided to comply with PFW`s request and sold an area of 7,000 m² on the corner of the old Lußheimer Straße for the construction of an aircraft factory. A little later their production hall was built with the inscription `Pfalz-Flugzeugwerke Speyer am Rhein`, which could be seen from far away. The Pfalz-Flugzeugwerke was lucky. One month before the war started the factory was completed and the production of parasol monoplanes could begin. Due to the war the Pfalz-Flugzeugwerke produced different aircraft under license as well as their successive models until the end of 1918. By 1917, PFW developed into the most competitive aircraft company in the Bavarian Kingdom - and in the German Empire they were regarded as an important and reliable aircraft company on the same level with Fokker and Albatros. [Detailed introduction] Latest Products |