A Founder of Practical Gliding Heorhii Adler (1886—1965): Designer, Lecturer, Journalist, Student of Kyiv Polytechnic Institute

Abstract

This article is devoted to the biography of Heorhii Petrovych Adler (1886—1965), one of the first aircraft designers in Ukraine, one of the founders of practical gliding, and a journalist. He was a member of the first aviation organizations in Kyiv (the Aeronautical Group of Kyiv Polytechnic Institute and the Kyiv Society of Aeronautics), a combat pilot of the First World War, a lecturer at higher education institutions, and a scientist. The source base of the research includes: (i) archival documents; (ii) periodicals of the first quarter of the 20th century, printed in Kyiv (the newspaper “Kievlyanin”), Moscow and Saint Petersburg (the popular science magazines “Automobile and Aeronautic” and “Aero and Automobile Life”), as well as newspaper articles written by H. Adler; (iii) memoirs of students and lecturers from Kyiv Polytechnic Institute and H. Adler’s relatives. The practical work of H. Adler over almost 40 years is described. The nature of his engineering, organizational, journalistic, industrial, military, scientific, and lecturing activities in aviation, as well as in other fields of technology and production, is revealed. Special attention is paid to the Kyiv period of H. Adler’s activities: the design, construction, testing, and use of gliders, as well as interactions with other Kyiv aircraft designers. It is emphasized that H. Adler’s reports about aviation events in Kyiv and on the territory of Ukraine are a valuable source on the history of the initial period of a new branch of technology — aviation — and constitute highly significant factual material. H. Adler’s priority in constructing the first wheeled glider in the Russian Empire in 1908, precisely in Kyiv, which gained popularity in other cities of the empire and even abroad, has been proven. The aircraft design work of H. Adler at aircraft factories in the Russian Empire and the Soviet Union is described. Due to the author’s contacts with H. Adler’s relatives, some aspects of the aircraft designer’s biography were clarified — his origin, the circumstances of changing his name and surname, dates of birth and death, combat experience, and awards in military aviation.