HANS PABST VON OHAIN - COMMEMORATIVE ENVELOPE SIGNED CO-SIGNED BY: ERNST HEINKEL, JR., LISA HEINKEL, ERICH WARSITZ - HFSID 46547

FIRST FLIGHT OF A JET AIRCRAFT: HANS PABST VON OHAIN, ERICH WARSITZ, ERNST HEINKEL JR., and LISA HEINKEL
40th anniversary Commemorative Cover signed by the engine designer, by the test pilot, and by Ernst Heinkel's son and widow, with explanatory information about the historic flight
Commemorative Envelope signed: "Erich Warsitz", "Hans Pabst von Ohain", "Lisa Heinkel", "Ernst Heinkel", 7½x4½. Celebratory envelope issued on the 40th anniversary of the first flight of a jet-propelled aircraft serving the first flight of a jet-propelled aircraft, postmarked Rostock (Germany), August 27, 1979, German postage affixed. Printed color cachet reproduces a painting of the plane over the runway. In 1933, aeronautical engineer DR. HANS PABST VON OHAIN (1911-1998) began efforts to produce a practical jet propulsion engine. He bench tested a prototype in 1937. After further refinements, his He S 3B engine powered the HE 178 turbojet aircraft on its historic first flight, August 27, 1939 (just 4 days before Nazi Germany's invasion of Poland began World War II). Fortunately for the course of history, the Nazi regime showed little interest in von Ohain's engine, and did not produce a jet fighter aircraft until 1945. In 1947, von Ohain was hired by the US Air Force, and a decade later became Chief Scientist at the Aero Propulsion Laboratory at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base. ERICH WARSITZ (1906-1983) Heinkel Aircraft's chief test pilot, flew the plane, which cruised at 361 mph. Had the landing gear not failed to retract, Warsitz could have pushed the plane to its top speed, 435 mph. In 1944, Flight Captain Warsitz was part of a special Luftwaffe unit flying a long-range Ju-290 aircraft, delivering important cargo to a base in Japanese-occupied China. The HE 178 was manufactured by aircraft builder Ernst Heinkel and flown from Rostok-Marienehe airfield. Although Heinkel designed and built important combat aircraft for Germany, his anti-Nazi record was sufficient to spare him punishment by the victorious Allies. Heinkel's widow, LISA HEINKEL, and his son, ERNST HEINKEL, JR., have also signed. Printed sheet inside envelope contains more details on the flight of the HE 178. Lightly worn at corners. Fine condition.