STANAVO Handbuch für Flieger

Front cover and sample pages of the STANAVO Handbuch für Flieger [Handbook for Aviators], a promotional aviation booklet published by the Deutsch-Amerikanische Petroleum Gesellschaft (DPAG) [German-American Petroleum Company]. DPAG was a subsidiary of Standard Oil and one of the main fuel suppliers in Germany during the 1930s, and the Handbuch für Flieger was released in 1936.

Far from simply being an advertising stunt, the softcover Handbuch für Flieger comprised of 128 pages of concise information regarding all aspects of flying. As can be seen on the cover, the booklet consisted of eight chapters: "The Aircraft", "Fuels And Oils", "Flying Nationally And Abroad", "Sailplanes", "Navigation In The Air", "Weather", "Standard And Aviation", and "Tables And Information". The 21 by 14 cm booklet was illustrated throughout (drawings and photos) and provided densely written text that sometimes went into quite some detail, such as in the case of operation of aero engines and causes of engine defects, or adjustment of the aircraft's compass, to name but two examples. Moreover, the chapter on sailplanes makes use of information penned by legendary sailplane designer and pilot Wolf Hirth.

Tables, graphs, and mathematical formulae were included liberally, which undoubtedly served to make this booklet a versatile and conveniently sized learning aid for any student flyer. My copy of the Handbuch für Flieger has apparently been used exactly as such at the time; the original owner has left notes and annotations written by pencil on countless pages. (German Aviation 1919-1945 Collection)

Schleicher Rhönbussard & Schneider Grunau Baby

DFS/Schleicher Rhönbussard, likely D-6-612 (the dark aircraft in the main photo, top, and in the detail enlargement, bottom), and Schneider Grunau Baby D-6-660 (light coloured aircraft in the rear and in the detail enlargement, centre) of NSFK-Gruppe 6 Breslau (Schlesien).

The Rhönbussard first flew in 1933. It was designed by Hans Jacobs as a small high-performance sailplane. The number of completed aircraft amounted to over 200.

In its original configuration, the Grunau Baby sailplane was designed by Edmund Schneider, together with Wolf Hirth, in Winter 1930/31. Several thousand Babys were built.

Devised in spring of 1937, the aircraft code system (e.g. D-6-660 ) of the NSFK [Nationalsozialistisches Fliegerkorps, i.e., National Socialist Flyers Corps] was implemented by July 25, 1937. The exact date of the photograph and the location are currently unknown to me, however. (German Aviation 1919-1945 collection)

[Entry amended January 31, 2020]