Founded on August 31, 1881, the Deutsche Verein zur Förderung der Luftschifffahrt,[1] (Society for the Promotion of Aeronautics), was the first German aviation association.[2]
The motivation for the association arose from the experience of the massive French military balloon units during the Siege of Paris in the Franco-Prussian War of 1870/1871. The association's objects were to promote airship flight by all means, as well as to work on solving the problem of building steerable airships, and especially to support a permanent research station.[2]
In 1882 the association started printing German: Zeitschrift des Deutschen Vereins zur Förderung der Luftschifffahrt, which was the first German technical aviation journal. In 1888 they printed under the title German: Zeitschrift für Luftschifffahrt (Journal of airshipflight) and the Vienese flight association German: Wiener Flugtechnische Verein became co-editors. In 1892 the title changed to German: Zeitschrift für Luftschifffahrt und Physik der Atmosphäre (Journal of airshipflight and atmospheric physics). In 1900 the association adopted the journal German: Illustrierte Aeronautische Mitteilungen (illustrated aeronautical reports),[3] with the subtitle German: Deutsche Zeitschrift für Luftschifffahrt (German journal of airshipflight).[2]
In 1903, after Germany saw the founding of numerous other aeronautical associations, it changed its name to German: Berliner Verein für Luftschifffahrt (Berlin association of airshipflight).[4]
Among the members were: the airship pioneers Paul Haenlein, Friedrich Hermann Wölfert; the meteorologists Richard Aßmann, Arthur Berson and Reinhard Süring; the airship constructor Hans Bartsch von Sigsfeld[2] and the flight researcher Otto Lilienthal.[4]