The Etrich Taube
Igo Etrich was born in Bohemia and worked in Austria. From the beginning of the century he studied the shape of the seed of the Zanonia vine, which glides stably through the air, and in 1907 and 1908, with the help of the engineer Franz Wels, he built gliders with wings of that form. In 1909 and 1910 a motorised version flew at Wiener Neustadt south of Vienna.
The aircraft was called the Taube, the dove. It was a monoplane whose wings curved back at the tips, and the tail resembled that of a bird. Its attractions were stability and ease of control, which suited pilots who were still learning.
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Several makers started building the design, and the Rumpler company of Berlin made the largest number under licence. Before 1914 the Taube was the most common German aircraft. When the war began it was used for reconnaissance and was one of the first aircraft to drop bombs by hand. In 1911 an Italian pilot, Giulio Gavotti, dropped small bombs on Turkish positions in Libya from a Taube, which is usually counted as the first aerial bombing.
The Taube was soon overtaken by biplanes with more power and better manoeuvrability, and by 1915 it was out of front-line service. It is still remembered for its shape, which is closer to a bird than any other aircraft of the time.