Alfred Comte
Encyclopedia
Alfred Comte was a Swiss aviation
pioneer. He was active as a pilot, photographer, instructor, also as one of the first aviation entrepreneur
s and was successful in the construction of civilian and military aircraft.
On November 5, 1919 he co-founded an airline providing aerial photography and passenger flights, Comte, Mittelholzer
, and Co. In 1920, this company merged with the financially stronger Ad Astra Aero
. Alfred Comte was a frequent participant in exhibition events for acrobatic flying and pioneered in flying from Zürich to London
. In December 1920 he established a school of aviation of his own, using flying boats among them six Austrian Lohner TL-1917/R aircraft (CH-61 to CH-65) from a base in Oberrieden
on Lake Zürich
shore. During World War II Comte returned to military aviation duties and was promoted to captain. From 1946 to 1950 he managed once again a school of aviation, then after quit flying and died 1965 in Zurich.
under license for the Swiss Air Force
. The company had a good reputation, but financially it was not successful, and a fire destroyed some of Comte's designs. The Great Depression hit the small businesses hard, it could even not be saved by switching to the production of tubular steel furniture anymore, and in 1935 the bankruptcy was filed.
From 1923 to 1935, Alfred Comte designed and built several aircraft:
Aviation
Aviation is the design, development, production, operation, and use of aircraft, especially heavier-than-air aircraft. Aviation is derived from avis, the Latin word for bird.-History:...
pioneer. He was active as a pilot, photographer, instructor, also as one of the first aviation entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
s and was successful in the construction of civilian and military aircraft.
Life
At the age of 15 Alfred Comte built a motorized bicycle. Comte got his private pilot's license in 1913 by the Aero-Club of France. Beginning World War I, he served as a pilot of the Swiss military, then as an instruction officer for military aviation. In 1916, he carried out night flights from Delémont, to prevent air space violations: Porrentruy had been bombed by aircraft of unknown origin. Germany and France consented to a Swiss proposal to mount light-beacons along the Swiss-German-France borders to prevent further mistakes.On November 5, 1919 he co-founded an airline providing aerial photography and passenger flights, Comte, Mittelholzer
Walter Mittelholzer
Walter Mittelholzer was a Swiss aviation pioneer. He was active as a pilot, photographer, travel writer, and also as one of the first aviation entrepreneurs....
, and Co. In 1920, this company merged with the financially stronger Ad Astra Aero
Ad Astra Aero
Ad Astra Aero was a Swiss airline.-Time of the pioneers:Initiated by Oskar Bider and Fritz Rihner, in July 1919 the «Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Lufttourismus» was established in Zürich...
. Alfred Comte was a frequent participant in exhibition events for acrobatic flying and pioneered in flying from Zürich to London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. In December 1920 he established a school of aviation of his own, using flying boats among them six Austrian Lohner TL-1917/R aircraft (CH-61 to CH-65) from a base in Oberrieden
Oberrieden
Oberrieden is a municipality in the district of Horgen in the canton of Zurich in Switzerland. It is one of the towns along the south shore of Lake Zurich.-Geography:...
on Lake Zürich
Lake Zurich
Lake Zurich is a lake in Switzerland, extending southeast of the city of Zurich. It is also known as Lake Zürich and Lake of Zürich. It lies approximately at co-ordinates ....
shore. During World War II Comte returned to military aviation duties and was promoted to captain. From 1946 to 1950 he managed once again a school of aviation, then after quit flying and died 1965 in Zurich.
Alfred Comte Schweizerische Flugzeugfabrik
Starting from 1923 up to 1935, Alfred Comte concentrated on airplane design and construction in his own company, Alfred Comte Schweizerische Flugzeugfabrik. In all, around 40 aircraft have been built, additional eight Fokker D.VIIFokker D.VII
The Fokker D.VII was a German World War I fighter aircraft designed by Reinhold Platz of the Fokker-Flugzeugwerke. Germany produced around 3,300 D.VII aircraft in the summer and autumn of 1918. In service, the D.VII quickly proved itself to be a formidable aircraft...
under license for the Swiss Air Force
Swiss Air Force
The Swiss Air Force is the air component of the Swiss Armed Forces, established on July 31, 1914, as part of the Army and as of January 1966 an independent service.In peacetime, Dübendorf is the operational Air Force HQ...
. The company had a good reputation, but financially it was not successful, and a fire destroyed some of Comte's designs. The Great Depression hit the small businesses hard, it could even not be saved by switching to the production of tubular steel furniture anymore, and in 1935 the bankruptcy was filed.
From 1923 to 1935, Alfred Comte designed and built several aircraft:
- Wild 43 (1923–26), training purpose, 6 built and exported to ChinaChinaChinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and ColombiaColombiaColombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the... - Wild X (1927/28), fighting and observing purpose, 8 built and exported to Colombia
- AC-1Comte AC-1-See also:...
(1926), fighter, 1 built, Swiss Air ForceSwiss Air ForceThe Swiss Air Force is the air component of the Swiss Armed Forces, established on July 31, 1914, as part of the Army and as of January 1966 an independent service.In peacetime, Dübendorf is the operational Air Force HQ...
preferred in an evaluation to buy Dewoitine D.27Dewoitine D.27|-See also:-External links:*... - AC-2 (?)
- AC-3Comte AC-3-See also:...
(1929/30), transport and bombing purpose, 1 built - AC-4 GentlemanComte AC-4-External links:*...
(1928–30), two-seat sport/training aircraft, 11 built, used by Swiss Air ForceSwiss Air ForceThe Swiss Air Force is the air component of the Swiss Armed Forces, established on July 31, 1914, as part of the Army and as of January 1966 an independent service.In peacetime, Dübendorf is the operational Air Force HQ...
and others - AC-8Comte AC-8-See also:...
(1929/30), passenger aircraft, 3 built, probably one (or AC-4) used by Ad Astra AeroAd Astra AeroAd Astra Aero was a Swiss airline.-Time of the pioneers:Initiated by Oskar Bider and Fritz Rihner, in July 1919 the «Schweizerische Gesellschaft für Lufttourismus» was established in Zürich... - AC-11 (1931), liaison and survey aircraft, 1 built, rejected by Swiss Air Force
- AC-12 Moskito (1931/35?), airliner, 8 built
Literature
- Roland Eichenberger: Die Flugzeuge von Alfred Comte, Liebefeld 1968.
- Roland Eichenberger. Alfred Comte (1895–1965), in: Schweizer Pioniere der Wirtschaft und Technik, Vol. 46. Glarus Verlag, Zürich 1987.
External links
- Walter Dürig: Zur Geschichte der schweizerischen Eigenentwicklung von Flugzeugen (Digitalisat, 69 KB)