Ulrik Birch

Ulrik Birch photographed in his aircraft by Holger Damgaard in 1912. Ulrik Johan Carl Birch (25 October 1883 – 10 October 1913) was a Danish aviation pioneer. He died from his injuries after crashing with his aircraft Ørnen at Kløvermarken in October 1913. He was the first Danish aviator killed in an aircraft accident. In 1916, the Danish Aeronautical Society erected a memorial stone for Birch at Staunings Plads in Fælledparken. In 2007, it was moved to a new location close to the Danish Aviators Memorial in Enveloppeparken on Amager.

Biography Birch was born on 25 October 1883 in Copenhagen, the son of book printer Carl Christian Birch (1845–98) and Anne Elisabeth Eriksen (1860–1928). He was trained as a book printer as his father. He received his first training as an aviator at Robert Svendsen's aviation school in Christianshavn. In 1911, he moved to Paris to attend the aviation school in Issy-les-Molinea. It was here he completed his first solo flight. Later in the same year, he was admitted to the Aérodrome d'Étampes - Mondésir in Étampes where he studied under Maurice Chevillard.When he was about to obtain his pilot's license on May 9, 1811, he crashed his plane and broke one leg.

The street Ulrik Birchs ALlé in Sundbyvester on Amager is named after Birch. The street was established in circa 1915. The street Ulrik Birchs Vej in Vadum is also named after him. It is part of a cluster of streets named for Danish aviation pioneers.