In conversation with Ulrich Unger
The former airline pilot is committed to preserving the heritage of German aviation history
His enthusiasm for the early beginnings of the “flying machines” and for the life’s work of Germany’s first female pilot, Amelie (Melli) Hedwig Boutard-Beese, is infectious. Ulrich Unger is a retired airline captain and PhD engineer specialising in flight operations who remains, even during his, as he puts it, “restless retirement”, passionately committed to sharing the fascination of flight, publishing numerous articles and books, and serving as an active member of the Society for the Preservation of Historic Sites of German Aviation History, or GBSL.
Adlershof Journal: What is so fascinating about flying?
Ulrich Unger: I am still fascinated by the beginnings of human aviation, from Otto Lilienthal through to the 1910s; the technological development of the first actually useable flying machines and the flight experiments they were used to carry out; the daring of the earliest aviators—both men and women; not least the impressive air shows that took place right here at the Berlin Johannisthal Airfield, attracting crowds of up to 600,000 people. Moreover, I am glad to have spent my entire professional and private life in aviation, because it allowed me, for the most part, to meet pleasant people.
Through the GBSL, you pursue this passion while also preserving history.
We are around 100 journalists, historians and aviation enthusiasts who, since the association was founded in 1991, have introduced some 12,000 interested visitors to the landmarked Johannisthal Airfield and its unique Aerodynamic Park, which includes the wind tunnel, the tailspin wind tunnel, and engine test bed. These tours have taken place during events such as Open Monument Day, the Long Night of the Sciences, or as part of the programme of Jugend forscht, Germany’s best-known national young science competition. Our catalogue documents more than 3,000 accessible aviation and spaceflight sites across Germany, with those in Adlershof ranking among the most significant. We give lectures, publish widely, and curate exhibitions in collaboration with museums and research institutions such as the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU). A particular highlight of our work was the 1995 air show in Johannisthal, which vividly brought this historic site of German aviation back to life.
Now a GBSL-initiated event will commemorate the 100th anniversary of Melli Beese’s death.
An event titled “Women in Aviation: Then and Now” will honour this extraordinary woman and highlight female role models in an industry where women remain in the minority. It will take place at Forum Adlershof on 15 January and was organised together with the IGAFA Joint Initiative of Non-University Research Institutes in Adlershof and WISTA Management GmbH. Among the participants are historian and Beese biographer Barbara Zibler, honorary president of the Association of German Women Pilots (VDP) Hedi Sensen, and airline pilot Julia Dörnte from the German Cockpit Association.
Why does Melli Beese remain a relevant role model for younger generations?
Beese once wrote: “Flying is necessary; living is not.” Yet the path to aviation was anything but smooth for a woman in her time. She was repeatedly denied access to training, faced higher tuition costs than her male peers, and even had her aircraft sabotaged. Against these obstacles, she became the first German woman to earn a pilot’s licence in 1911. She then had her own flying school and designed and constructed aircraft. Her example is an inspiration to all. We today might not always be aware of the privileges we enjoy, and we need guidance and role models more than ever. Mellie Beese is such a role model.
Peggy Mory for Adlershof Journal