Alfred de Pischof

Alfred de Pischof was an Austrian aviation pioneer. From 1901 to 1907, he attended the Collége Chaptal and École Speciale des Travaux Publics in Cachan, France and studied road and railway engineering; his grandfather had been a railway specialist. De Pischof had also been interested in aircraft technology, and he often visited Charles and Gabriel Voisin. By 1906, Alfred had created his own glider and by 1907, his first biplane. In 1909, De Pischof returned to Austria, and worked as designer for Werner & Pfleiderer. He designed the Pischof-Autoplan; this aircraft first flew in March 1910, flying for 400 metres. On 24 April 1910, he earned his pilot's certificate.