Hermann Schreiber (pilot)

Hermann Schreiber
Born(1909-11-11)11 November 1909
Arth-Goldau, Switzerland
Died12 April 2003(2003-04-12) (aged 93)
Gersau, Switzerland
OccupationPilot
Known forFirst to fly over the Alps in a glider

Hermann Schreiber (11 November 1909 – 12 April 2003)[1] was a Swiss pilot. He is known for being the first person to cross the Alps in a glider, for which he won an Olympic gold medal in aeronautics at the 1936 Summer Olympics.

Schreiber's historic flight is reported by most sources to have taken place in 1935,[2][3][4] specifically on September 6 or 7.[1][5] Thomas Lippert of the Journal of Sports Philately stated the flight was on August 4, 1933.[6] The flight, which took 5 hours and 47 minutes, began in Thun and finished in Bellinzona.[5] Schreiber received a gold medal for his flight at the 1936 Summer Olympics closing ceremony, and is the only person to have ever received an Olympic medal for aeronautics, since the prize was subsequently discontinued.[7] He also competed in the demonstration event of gliding at that same Games.[6]

On August 6, 1937, Schreiber crossed the Alps again in a glider, which is considered the first complete crossing, as Schreiber's first flight had begun at 3,650 metres altitude.[5] Schreiber was the 1937 Swiss champion in gliding and set multiple national records in continuous flight.[1]

Schreiber worked as a military pilot, flight instructor and air crash investigation expert. In the 1960s, he became a bush pilot and worked for relief organizations around the world. In 1976, his family left him because they could not cope with his lifestyle. His daughter Sabine (1962–2012) was a renowned historian and feminist.[1]

  1. ^ a b c d "Olympedia – Hermann Schreiber". Olympedia. Retrieved 2024-08-08.
  2. ^ Bätschmann, Colin (2021-02-05). "Visionär aus Wädenswil – Er stahl Hitler die Show, dann vergass ihn die Welt". Zürichsee-Zeitung (in German). Archived from the original on 2021-05-12. Retrieved 2024-08-08.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  3. ^ Hansen, Peter (2023-03-01). "Wildest dreams of Everest and modern mountaineering". Les Sports Modernes (PDF). p. 63. Retrieved 2024-01-28.
  4. ^ Borja, Elizabeth (2016-08-05). "The Year Aeronautics Was an Olympic Event". National Air and Space Museum. Retrieved 2024-01-28.
  5. ^ a b c Steffen, Daniel (2017-08-04). "Die Segelflieger erobern die Alpen". Neue Zürcher Zeitung (in German). Retrieved 2024-08-08.
  6. ^ a b Lippert, Thomas (September 1999). "Over the Clouds: Aeronautic Achievements Focused on by Olympic and Sports Philatelists" (PDF). Journal of Sports Philately. 38 (1): 17-22. Retrieved 2024-01-28.
  7. ^ Kluge, Volker; Lippert, Thomas (2013). "The Olympic Alpinism Prize and a promise redeemed" (PDF). International Society of Olympic Historians. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2024-01-27. Retrieved 2024-01-27.