Page 6 - Demo

Rocket Mail of the WorldReinhold TilingBorn in 1893 to a father who was a pastor, Tiling studied engineering, then became a pilot for the German army during the World War I. After the end of hostilities, he flew acrobatically for a while, then became an Air Traffic Controller at the Osnabruck Airport. In 1925 he began to design and launch his very own solid-fuel rockets. On the morning of April 15, 1931, Tiling gave a lecture about his work to a group in Osnabruck. Later that afternoon, at nearby Dummer Lake, he fired off five rockets. One exploded in the air, but the other four flew successfully for a distance of about five miles. One of them carried 188 postcards, which were taken to the local post office and dispatched through the regular mail. This was Tiling%u2019s only Rocket Mail launch, and it was witnessed by about 200 people. The event has been preserved in a silent movie. The Mayor of Osnabruck was so impressed, he awarded Tiling a golden plaque of the city.Tiling%u2019s rockets were fitted with specially designed wings that folded out after launch, and he perfected his own reusable rocket design. At one point, he predicted that rockets would carry mail all across Germany, even over the Atlantic Ocean to the United States. Tiling made several rocket launches between 1931 and 1933, but none carried any mail. Interestingly, Rocket Mail covers do exist for an October 1931 flight%u2014but they were not flown, not produced by Tiling, and are considered forgeries. Tiling%u2019s work led to two patents being granted in the United States in October 1932, and a third in April of 1933. But despite his success, and the support of friends and sponsors, his work was beset by financial difficulties. On October 10, 1933, he was working with two of his colleagues on a batch of gunpowder to be used for rocket 1966 Paraguayan postage stamp honoring Reinhold Tiling.1984 Paraguayan souvenir sheet honoring Friedrich Schmiedl.