Jane's All The World Aircraft 1913

KONDOR. Kondor Flugzeugwerke G.m.b.H., Essen, Ruhr. Fabrik auf dem Flugplatz. Rotthausen. Capacity: 30 or so a year.

   1912. 1913.

Length.............feet(m.) 33? (10.30) 27 (8.20)
Span...............feet(m.) 48? (14.80) 46 (14)
Area..........sq. feet(m?.) 258 (24) 280 (26)
Weight, total....lbs.(kgs.) 1543 ( 700) 1328 600)
   useful...lbs.(kgs.) ... ...
Motor..................h.p. 100 Argus 100 Argus
Speed...........m.p.h.(km.) 65 (105) 70 (112)
Number Built during 1912... 2 ...

Remarks.--Both models torpedo body, on 4 skids. Planes dart V form. Constructor: J. Suwelack.

J.Herris German Aircraft of Minor Manufacturers in WW1. Vol I (A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes 49)

Kondor

   Kondor Flugzeugwerken was founded in July 1912, by the Lord Mayor of Dusseldorf, Wilhelm Marr, and several military men. An assembly workshop was constructed in Essen and by 1917 it had grown from about 1,200 m2 to about 1,000,000 m2 in 1917. Shortly after it founding the company brought out a Taube type monoplane that was an immediate success. By 1915/1916 the Company was concerned with the repair of aircraft and in 1917/1918 with the construction of school machines.
   The designers employed by the Company at various times were: E Suvelack (crashed and killed in air combat), Paul Westphal, and Walter Rethel.
   The impetus for the foundation of the company was the establishment of airports at Essen, Gelsenkirchen, and Rotthausen. Suvelack made the first flights from the airport and established the name Kondor. Despite this and their efforts to establish their name by entering competitions and establishing records, the company received no orders for the type.
   The German authorities seemed unable to make up their minds about giving Kondor a contract so the company went to Spain where their demonstrations led to the Spanish Government ordering Kondor Tauben. The outbreak of war saw these machines being impressed by the German Army.
   Large numbers of personnel were called up including Suvelack, the then Director. He was to be killed after 18 months service at the Front. The hiring of a new designer led to the construction of four biplanes in sequence.
   From the summer of 1915 to the end of 1916 the company rebuilt several dozen aircraft. At the end of 1916 a licence was obtained for the construction of Albatros B.II trainers.
   The company transferred their school in April 1915 to the military aerodrome at Grossenheim. In September 1917, all flying activities at the school were transferred to Nordhausen.

M.Dusing German Aviation Industry in WWI. Volume 1 (A Centennial Perspective on Great War Airplanes 84)

Kondor-Flugzeugwerke, Essen (Kon)

Foundation:

  Kondor-Flugzeugwerke, founded by the Lord Mayor of Dusseldorf, Wilhelm Marr, in Essen an der Ruhr on July 20, 1912, maintained its main plant on the site of the former Gelsenkirchen-Essen-Rotthausen airfield. The company also maintained a flying school there. A second flying school was opened in Nordhausen.


Aircraft Development:

  Although Suwelak, as the most experienced of the Kondor pilots, demonstrated the first pigeons designed by the company in flight, at first no orders were placed for the pigeons. The company endeavored to produce aircraft types through further improvements, which were not entirely without success in aircraft competitions and records, such as:
  1913:
   8-hour endurance record, Prinz Heinrich flight,
   Aeroplan tournament in Gotha, flight around Berlin,
   Krupp flight week, triangle flight;
  1915:
   Altitude record 4,000 m with 4 passengers (Lieutenant Hohndorf).
  Since the German army administration could not decide on the orders in the Kondor-Flugzeugwerke, the company first turned to the foreign market and exhibited its own design of an aircraft in Madrid on February 1,1914. This exhibition and demonstration was a complete success, as the Kondor-Flugzeugwerke received a trial order from the Spanish government for the delivery of a series of Kondor Taube G. This seemed to secure the further development of the company, but as a result of the outbreak of war, the delivery of the aircraft was prohibited by the army administration, as the aircraft were needed by Germany’s own aviation forces. Due to the difficulties associated with the outbreak of war, such as the mobilization of a large part of the personnel, including the technical director at the time, Mr. Josef Suwelack, the company itself ran into difficulties, although it was itself constantly seeking Army orders. By hiring new designers, 4 biplanes D.I, D.II, D.6 and D.7 were developed in succession.
  In 1915, due to good experience with this Spanish G export version, the factory received an Army order for several Type H “Kondors”with 100 hp Daimler D.I engines.
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  Since the airfield in Essen-Gelsenkirchen-Rotthausen was unsuitable for effective training operations, the company transferred its flight school to the military airfield in Grossenhain/Saxony on April 20, 1915, and finally began training operations in Nordhausen on September 1,1917. The training aircraft, mainly Kondor Tauben and Kondor B.I, had the identifiers K1 to K23, but DFW, Albatros and LVG aircraft were also used for training.<...>

Журнал Flight

Flight, September 11, 1914.

AIRCRAFT "MADE IN GERMANY"
WHICH MAY BE EMPLOYED AGAINST THE ALLIES.

23. The Kondor Taube
   resembles other monoplanes of this type in the shape of its wings and their bracing, but an attempt has been made to provide a better streamline fuselage. This member in the Kondor Taube is of circular section, with openings cut out of the top for the engine, passenger and pilot. The chassis is somewhat similar to that of the early Blackburn monoplane, and although appearing to be particularly strong would seem to offer a considerable amount of head resistance. The tubular axle is slung from the two short skids by means of rubber shock-absorbers. The flexing elevator forms a continuation of the fixed portion of the horizontal tail plane, and symmetrically divided rudders and vertical tail fins are fitted above and below the tail plane. Evidently the reduction of head resistance obtained by the circular fuselage is more than counteracted by the complicated chassis and wing bracing, for the speed of the machine with 100 h.p. Mercedes engine is only just over 60 miles per hour.