Two “ancient” planes for the Salzburg Museum
Culture
Aircraft from the first pioneer generations hundred and more years ago are now a new theme in the Porsche car museum in Mattsee (Flachgau). From January, the public will be able to admire two airworthy replicas with original engines from the early days of aviation history.
This aeronautical gem, a Hansa-Brandenburg C1, now hangs next to a Klemm-Daimler L20 in the automobile museum. It was rebuilt based on original plans. It is actually flown with the original engine, which is more than a hundred years old and has a power of 225 hp.
One of Porsche’s first works
The engine technology comes largely from the mobility pioneer Ferdinand Porsche, who worked on this plane when he was young, as the aircraft manufacturer Koloman Mayrhofer said: “This machine was a jack of all trades in the Austrian aviation troops – for reconnaissance, training and shooting. But the main task was the photo reconnaissance.”
The C1 were mainly built in Fischamend, Lower Austria, from 1915:
Replica with original plans
There are no original copies anymore. With the new exhibit in the Museum Fahrenheit, pilots are allowed to fly again, the expert explains: “We found around 400 original plans from the C1 that cover every detail. It was very important that the replica was made exactly as it was then. Then the aviation authority says, OK, that’s a reliable design.”
Bottom window for reconnaissance photos
In the First World War, Hansa-Brandenburg C1s died, among other things, in reconnaissance flights. They even installed a window in the floor for this purpose: “The difficulty is definitely overhauling the original engines and putting them in place immediately. We can’t fly to the right edge and stand still until roadside assistance comes. Safety is the absolute top priority.”
Klemm-Daimler, one of the first ultralight
From January, a replica and airworthy Klemm-Daimler L20 can also be seen in the Museum Fahrenheit in Mattsee – also with the original engine of the young Ferdinand Porsche.
Weighing only 260 kilograms, this machine, which went into series production from 1925, was one of the first sports and ultralight aircraft:
Aviation as a new topic in the car museum
For the Porsche family and the team at the Flugraum Museum, the two aircraft have fulfilled an old wish, says Jakob Iglhauser: “We have cars that are ready to drive and now planes that are ready to fly. And we can use it to show our visitors Austrian history – more and more exhibits that nobody really knows anymore.”