Arthur Schaef was a Wellington photographer who had a strong interest in machinery and motion. In 1909 he built a plane called Vogel, which is German for bird. But when he tried to take off the English engine lacked sufficient power.
Schaef’s friend, Percy Fisher, rebuilt the engine and finally, on 5 March 1911 at Lyall Bay, Wellington, New Zealand, Vogel flew.
Evening Post reporter, Charles Marris, was on hand to describe the historic moment:
“Schaef lifted the flier with his tailplane, and with graceful coordinated movement the main planes thrust upward, and the monoplane was afloat, about fifteen feet in the air. With wonderful stability the machine glided forward past the onlookers, who scattered when she rose, to settle down, bird-like, on the base some yards further on…”
Schaef’s flight was more of a long hop of 50 metres.
All Aero 