100 Years of Peter Dornier - 'From Human Flight to Flying Threads'

Together with chief engineer Eugen Jäger, Peter developed the concept for the Do 335, which was the fastest propeller aircraft in the world at its time.

Peter Dornier founded the “Lindauer DORNIER GmbH” (LiDO) in 1950 and led the company successfully for several decades. He was not only at home in the world of textile machines but also in the world of aircraft construction – as exceptional design engineer and entrepreneur who was far ahead of his times. The second eldest son of aeronautical pioneer Claude Dornier would have been 100 on January 31.

Ideas, designs, trials – Peter Dornier was born into this world of aircraft construction in Friedrich shafen, Germany on January 31, 1917. Already as a young person, he started creating design drawings which he then kept together with his notes in his sketchbooks. He completed his studies at the Munich Technical University, Germany, in 1944 as graduate engineer. Already during his training his father assigned him tasks at the Dornier Factory in Friedrich shafen Manzell. It quickly became apparent that his unconventional ideas gave important impulses to aircraft construction. One example as a young engineer was when his father involved him in a project for high performance aircraft for speed records. Together with chief engineer Eugen Jäger, he developed the concept for the Do 335, which was the fastest propeller aircraft in the world at its time. For this achievement he was 1944 awarded a prize from the Lilienthal Society. Later in the Sixties he also gave decisive impulses for the development and construction of the Do 31, today still the only transport aircraft with jet propulsion as well as vertical take-off and landing capability.

The Dornier company was left with nothing at the end of the Second World War: Destroyed or confiscated machinery and factories as well being forbidden to be involved in aircraft construction prevented any industrial activities. Claude Dornier was placed under house arrest by the French troops. Despite the difficult times, Peter Dornier proved his skills as entrepreneur.