Emil Meinecke [SEP] conflict
as an aircraft mechanic as a teenager, qualifying in 1910. He then worked for German pioneer aviator Karl Jatho who taught him to fly. Meinecke finally soloed in 1913.
Emil Meinecke joined the German military aviation effort when World War I began in 1914. When he enlisted on 20 August 1914, he had not yet completed requirements for his International Flying Certificate, but carried a letter of recommendation for pilot training from Jatho. On 25 July 1915, Meinecke qualified for his Military Pilot's Certificate. He was then assigned
; the test plane, flown by Hidde Leegstra and Piet Vos, two Dutch pilots, eluded him as they defected to England.
The end of the war saw him once again working as a mechanic. In 1949, he mechaniced for the 53rd Troop Carrier Squadron USAF during the Berlin Airlift. Meinecke emigrated to Canada in 1950, and became a Canadian citizen on 1 June 1956. He died in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada.
See also.
- Photos of Emil Meinecke at http://www.aeroconservancy.com/meinecke.htm
- Photo of