Alfred Comte

Alfred Comte (4 June 1895 – 1 November 1965) was a Swiss aviation pioneer. He was active as a pilot, photographer, instructor, and also as one of the first aviation entrepreneurs. He was successful in the construction of civilian and military aircraft.

Early life and education Comte was born 4 June 1895 in Delémont, Switzerland, to Paul Comte, a district manager for the Swiss Federal Railways, and Elisa Comte (née Bourquard). His paternal family originally hailed from Courtételle. thumb

Life At the age of 15, Alfred Comte built a motorized bicycle. Comte obtained his private pilot's license in 1913 from the Aéro-Club of France. At the start of World War I, he served as a pilot in the Swiss military, then as an instruction officer for military aviation. In 1916, he carried out night flights from Delémont to prevent airspace violations; Porrentruy had been bombed by aircraft of unknown origin. Germany and France consented to a Swiss proposal to mount light-beacons along the Swiss-German-French borders to prevent further mistakes.

On 5 November 1919, he co-founded an airline providing aerial photography and passenger flights, Comte, Mittelholzer, and Co. In 1920, this company merged with the financially stronger Ad Astra Aero. Alfred Comte was a frequent participant in exhibition events for acrobatic flying and pioneered the route from Zürich to London. In December 1920, he established a school of aviation of his own using flying boats; six Austrian Lohner TL-1917/R aircraft (CH-61 to CH-65) from a base in Oberrieden on the shores of Lake Zürich. During World War II, Comte returned to military aviation duties and was promoted to captain. and was also involved in establishing the private airfield Wangen-Lachen on the southern shore of lake Obersee. He finally retired from flying and died in 1965 in Zürich. AC-3(1929/30), transport and bombing purpose, 1 built AC-4 Gentleman(1928–30), two-seat sport/training aircraft, 11 built, used by Swiss Air Force and others AC-5 6-seater with a 200 hp Wright engine, not built

Literature Roland Eichenberger: Die Flugzeuge von Alfred Comte, Liebefeld 1968. Roland Eichenberger. Alfred Comte (1895–1965), in: Schweizer Pioniere der Wirtschaft und Technik, Vol. 46. Glarus Verlag, Zürich 1987.