author
A. (Alfred) Hildebrandt
1870–1949
An early aviation enthusiast who helped turn the dream of flight into something the public could imagine, he wrote lively books on balloons, airships, and the new world of aeronautics. His work captures the excitement of a moment when flying was still a daring experiment.
1 Audiobook
Die Brüder Wright Eine Studie ueber die Entwicklung der Flugmaschine von Lilienthal bis Wright
by A. (Alfred) Hildebrandt
About the author
Born in Wittingen in 1870, Alfred Hildebrandt became a German aviation pioneer as well as a writer on aeronautical subjects. He was closely involved with ballooning and early flight, and records from the Library of Congress describe him as one of the first Europeans to support the Wright brothers' experiments.
Hildebrandt wrote for readers who were fascinated by the possibilities of the air. His books include Airships Past and Present and Balloons and Airships, works that explain lighter-than-air travel and the wider uses of balloons in fields such as meteorology and photography.
He spent decades helping popularize aviation in Germany through both practice and print. Hildebrandt died in 1949, leaving behind writing that now reads like a window into the thrilling first age of flight.