Густав Отто: Немец авиаконструкторы және өндірушісі

German aircraft manufacturer

Gustav Otto (12 January 1883 – 28 February 1926) was a German aircraft and aircraft engine designer and manufacturer. Otto was born in Cologne to Nicolaus August Otto, the founder of N. A. Otto & Cie. and inventor of the four stroke internal combustion engine. It is therefore regarded that his interest in engines, specifically aircraft and the manufacture thereof, was something he inherited from his father at an early age.

Gustav Otto was regarded as successful and career minded, and moved in elevated social circles. He attended higher secondary school in Cologne, and had internships at machine tool manufacturers. Later, he attended the Technical Colleges in Hanover, Karlsruhe and Munich for further engineering study. He is believed to have remained in Munich after completing his studies to co found the Bayerische Auto Garage company. Otto had a difficult time getting out from under his father's long shadow. He was prone to bouts of depression, which affected his work.

Otto successfully raced cars and motorcycles in various competitive events. He was also very active in the earliest days of aviation. On 10 April 1910 he obtained his pilot's licence on an Aviatik biplane (also he took over an agency for this aircraft). He founded the Aeroplanbau Otto Alberti workshop (renamed Gustav Otto Flugmaschinenfabrik in 1911)

In 1913, after selling 47 aircraft to the Bavarian Army, Otto opened a factory Otto Flugzeugwerke on Lerchenauer Strasse just east of the Oberwiesenfeld troop manoeuvre area in the Milbertshofen district of Munich (this area later became Munich's first airport). He wanted to be closer to the German government's procurement process for military sale. However, he was not skilled at the politics and payoffs necessary when dealing with the Bavarian war ministry and Prussian Army. Unable to navigate these politics while leaving his pride and integrity intact deeply troubled him. Shortly after 1914, Otto established another company named AGO Flugzeugwerke at Berlin's Johannisthal Air Field. The name "AGO" stood for either Actien Gesellschaft Otto or Aerowerke Gustav Otto – there seems to be some ambiguity – but during the early years of World War I the company mostly licence built Otto Flugmaschinenfabrik designs (as did Pfalz Flugzeugwerke). Otto's designs were initially successful, but constantly plagued with problems related to cost effective production, and revenue. At the start of the war, Otto Flugzeugwerke was supplying the German Air Force, but the production problems ended up being so great that government agencies urged the company to solve the issues. The major shareholder in BMW, Vienna based Italian speculator Camillo Castiglionli, sold all of his shares to BMW’s main customer, Knorr Bremse, in May 1920, who then acquired the remaining shares to make BMW a wholly owned subsidiary still run by Popp. Less than two years later Popp persuaded Castiglionli buy back the BMW company name and buy the Bayerische Flugzeugwerke for its production site on the other side of the air field. BMW then produced the legendary Max Frtiz designed R32 shaft drive motorcycle, featuring an integrated gearbox, recirculating rather than total loss lubrication and with the cylinder heads poking out for cooling. After the First World War, Otto started a new attempt at car manufacturing with the Starnberger Automobilwerke. The luxury Otto Mercedes car built there is alleged to have been well received abroad. In 1924 Otto was divorced from his wife Ada. He suffered badly from the emotional ordeal. Ada remarried, but in August 1925 died under mysterious circumstances that gave rise to much speculation. Although no longer married to her, Otto took her death most harshly and apparently fell into a deep depression. In 1926, amid failed attempts at business (caused by various reasons), the death of his wife, and health issues, Otto died by suicide at the age of 43 in Munich.