Anton Flettner | |
---|---|
Born | 1 November 1885 Hattersheim am Main, Germany |
Died | 29 December 1961 New York City, US | (aged 76)
Nationality | German |
Occupation | Engineer |
Engineering career | |
Discipline | Aviation Engineer, Inventor |
Projects | Helicopters, Rotor Ships |
Anton Flettner (1 November 1885 – 29 December 1961) was a German aviation engineer and inventor.[1] Born in Eddersheim (today a district of Hattersheim am Main), Flettner made important contributions to airplane, helicopter, vessel, and automobile designs.[1][2][3]
After serving Germany in both World Wars, Anton Flettner emigrated to the United States post World War II as a consultant to the office of Naval Research at the United States Navy.[4]
Anton Flettner attended the Fulda State Teachers College in Fulda, Germany.[5] He was the village teacher in Pfaffenwiesbach from 1906 to 1909.[4] Flettner subsequently taught high school mathematics and physics in Frankfurt, where he developed ideas that would assist Germany in World War I.[5]
Flettner developed a new method of harnessing the wind: the Flettner Rotor ship. It could permit ocean liners to reduce their crews by two-thirds and save 90 percent in fuel.[6][7]