Model of the first German hydroplane

• Plau 1909, wingspan: 68 cm

August von Parseval is known as the constructor of “blimps”. In 1909 he built the first hydroplane in Germany. He also built an air base as a starting mechanism on Lake Plau in Mecklenburg. Testing started in spring 1910. The pilot, Wilhelm Hoff, initially tried to start from the water. Yet it was not until a runway was built on the lake that he was able to start on 7th October with the help of a launch vehicle. The experiments did not produce any lasting success and Parseval gave up in 1911.