Rudolf Opitz hand written note. He joined a flying club in 1929 and began flying gliders. In 1934 he became an instructor at Germanys famous glider school at Wasserkuppe in the Rhoen Mountains. Later he joined the German Research Institute as a flight instructor for cargo gliders and airplanes. From 1936 to 1939 Rudy was involved as the test pilot for a research team working on flying wing designs. In 1939 he was drafted into the Luftwaffe, and in 1940 he flew his first combat mission as an assault glider pilot on a mission to capture and secure three strategic bridges over the Albert Canal. In 1941 Opitz was assigned to the German Rocket Research Center at Peenemunde. He was assigned as a test pilot to the Me-163A Komet. In 1942 Rudy would make the worlds first flight in a rocket powered fighter aircraft, the Me-163B. In 1944 he was assigned as Commander of the IIJG/400 Rocket Fighter Group. Rudy met Herman Goering once at an exclusive airshow for high ranking military and government officials. All the latest designs were displayed, and Goering stopped by each aircraft to personally speak with their pilots and crews. Rudy, as the Chief Test Pilot for the 163 program was a bit surprised when Goering asked him, Were you drafted to serve in the rocket fighter squadron or did you volunteer to fly this aircraft? On Rudys last flight in the 163, the fire warning light came on immediately after take off. Rudy began to jettison fuel, but the cockpit filled with burning fuel vapours. Rudy jettisoned the canopy and somehow managed to bring the 163 down in a meadow near the airfield. Despite being injured Rudy managed to get out of the burning aircraft before it exploded. During his recovery Rudy met a nurse, Hanna, who would become his wife after the war. Opitz moved to the U.S. following the War. He continued his career as a test pilot for the Aeronautical Research and Development Center at Wright Patterson AF13 in Ohio. He also worked with the gas turbine division of Avco Lycoming. For more than three decades Opitz served as a FAA pilot examiner for private commercial and flight- instructor certificates. In 1984 he was elected and certified as an Honorary Fellow of the Society of Experimental Test Pilots. In 1994 he was elected into the United States Soaring Hall of Fame. Although 86-years young at the time of this writing, Rudy continues his life long enthusiasm for flight, and still works with aspiring young pilots at his local soaring club in Connecticut. The tremendous technological breakthroughs embodied in the Me-262 and Me-163 development programs accelerated the development of modem rocket and jet powered aircraft by compressing decades of normal development time into a few intense wartime years. Rudy Opitz and his fellow test pilots, many who gave their lives in the process, were critical to the successful development of these programs. Rudolf Opitz passed away in May 2010. Est. £10 - 20
We found 77111 price guide item(s) matching your search
There are 77111 lots that match your search criteria. Subscribe now to get instant access to the full price guide service.
Click here to subscribe- List
- Grid
-
77111 item(s)/page
A collection of pictures and prints including an early 20th century coloured etching after Tatton Winter showing a scene at Avignon, signed in pencil bottom right, 26 x 34 cm approx together with a late 18th century coloured engraving showing the inside view of Melross Abbey after C Catton, engraved by F Dukes and dated 1798, 48 x 66 cm approx, a signed print showing a Scottish heraldic lion inscribed - The Lion of Scotland, signed Harrison Ball, 28 x 25 cm approx, a coloured print of an interior scene at a dance hall - The Rehearsal, a coloured print of a still life subject after Anne Redpath, further coloured prints including an example after Clifford Frith, etc, various sizes, all framed
An oil painting on board showing a St Ives street scene with figure and cat, signed bottom left E Watson, inscribed verso - The Digey, St Ives, 29 x 21 cm approx in moulded gilt frame together with a signed coloured limited edition print of a still life with pink and white roses in a drinking glass, signed Camilla Wheatcroft (?), inscribed - Wild Roses, edition 713/750, 36 x 30 cm approx in pink and gilt wooden frame together with a colour print after Sonia Delaunay, with label verso - Rythme Couleur and dated 1961, 34 x 34 cm approx, in pink and gilt wooden frame
An oil painting on board of a still life with jug of white daisies, signed bottom right D Rosevear, with Wessex Artists Exhibition label verso - D Rosevear, with Isle of Wight address details, 30 x 60 cm approx in white and gilt frame, two needlework panels, one showing a peacock, the other in a crewel work style showing flowers and foliage, an oil painting on board, bust length study of a woman in a flowered hat, 29 x 36 cm approx, a coloured limited edition signed print of Pooncarie Races, indistinctly signed bottom right, two black and white photographs of landscapes with trees, etc, all framed
A collection of pictures and prints relating to floral subjects including a watercolour of a floral still life, signed bottom right E A Bowles and inscribed - May Day 1930, with newspaper cutting verso relating to Edward Augustus Bowles, 51 x 34 cm approx, studies of pink hydrangeas, blue iris and white camellias by C P F Boulder, signed bottom right, a pair of watercolour studies of multiple flowers by the same artist, 75 x 14 cm approx, a painting on velvet of flowers in the same format, etc, all framed
An early 20th century gouache study of a thatched cottage besides a country lane, signed bottom right A Wardle, 37 x 24 cm in oak frame together with further pictures and prints including a coloured print after Cecil Aldin - For What We Have Received, a coloured print of an oriental still life, signed Pushman, with Frost & Reed label verso, a black and white etching of a farmyard scene, signed in pencil Martin Lack and dated 1914, etc
A mid-20th century oil painting on canvas of an abstract subject painted with thick impasto in tones of red, cream, blue and grey, with inscribed verso G Doonan, 33 x 29 cm approx together with a further 20th century oil painting on canvas, still life with jug, mug and two apples, 40 x 35 cm approx, unframed and an oil painting on canvas of a busy city street scene at twilight with figures, lamps, etc, the reverse of the canvas painted with a landscape with white washed cottages, 56 x 36 cm approx, unframed
Russian School, 20th/21st century- Still life in front of a window, oil on canvas, inscribed verso, 82x62.5cm CONDITION REPORT: In a gilded, wooden frame with off-white fabric slip inscribed verso, could be from Georgia - could also be a signature, but the name is too long and appears to signifiy something else thick impasto paint recto fresh bright colours in very good condition
* WILLIAM SELBY RWS RSW ROI RBA NEAC (BRITISH b 1933 - ) A STILL LIFE acrylic, signed 55cm x 39cm (21.5 x 15 inches) Framed Provenance: Exhibited The Royal Academy Summer Exhibition (London) 1985. Exhibition label verso. Note: Selby has emerged as an important name in British Art. His contemporary paintings have created an impressive following and Selby has exhibited at the principal Academies, Institutes and Societies of Arts, where he has won many major art awards and fellowships. William Selby's work is exhibited at many of the UK's finest contemporary galleries including Thompson's Gallery (London), The Red Rag Gallery, Whitington Fine Art and Adam Gallery. Selby's paintings rarely appear at auction but notably on 20th June 2013, Bloomsbury Auctions London sold a 73cm x 89cm acrylic still life (lot 47) for £4200 (hammer).
Loading...-
77111 item(s)/page