Biographical Note
Carl Oskar Ursinus, pioneer of German aviation, was born in Weissenfels, Germany, March 11, 1877, and died July 6, 1952. After graduating from a technical college, Ursinus worked for the Borsig company on locomotives and mining machinery. In 1908, he began publication of Flugsport, an aviation enthusiasts' magazine, and later became prominent as an organizer of Germany's first international airshow. Ursinus was noted for his contributions to sailplane designs and the sport of gliding. He founded Germany's first gliding club at the Wasserkuppe in the Rhön Mountains in 1920.
As a conscript in the German Army in World War I, Ursinus was posted to Gothaer Waggonfabrik to design warplanes. The Gotha bombers used by the German air corps during the war were based on his design. After the war, with Germany prohibited from building powered aircraft, he focused on gliding but returned to experimenting in human-powered flight before World War II.