Else Haugk facts for kids
Else Haugk (1889–1973) was an amazing pioneer! She was the very first woman from Switzerland to get a pilot's license. After learning to fly in northern Germany, she earned her Swiss pilot's license (No. 48) on May 11, 1914. A little later, on June 6, 1914, she also received her German license (No. 785).
Early Life and Interests
Else Haugk was born in Zurich, Switzerland, on June 10, 1889. Her parents were merchants. Her father, Theodor Haugk, was from Munich, and her mother, Elise Brandstetter, was from Zurich.
Else was a very smart child. She loved many different things, especially technology, books, and painting. She went to high school in Munich. Later, she studied painting in Dachau with a teacher named Adolf Hölzel. She also studied art in Zurich with another famous artist, Ferdinand Hodler.
Becoming a Pilot
In May 1912, Else saw a German airplane competition in Konstanz. She was so excited by the planes that she decided right away she wanted to become a pilot! At this event, she met Martin von Oldershausen. He was an army officer and helped organize the competition.
Martin von Oldershausen introduced Else to Karl Caspar in Hamburg. Karl Caspar owned a company called Hanseatic Aeroplane Works. He also ran a school where people could learn to fly. Else started her pilot training there in the winter of 1913–1914.
She worked hard and met all the requirements for a Swiss pilot's license on May 11, 1914. This made her the first Swiss woman to ever get a pilot's license! The Swiss Aeroclub officially registered her as Pilot No. 48. Soon after, on June 6, 1914, she passed her German pilot's test. She flew a Hansa-Taube monoplane at the Fuhlsbüttel airport in Hamburg. She received German License No. 785.
Life After Flying
When the First World War started in July 1914, Else changed her focus. She trained to become a nurse. She worked in Hamburg, taking care of pilots who were hurt in the war. During this time, she met Martin von Oldershausen again in Cologne.
They got married on June 5, 1918. Else helped raise Martin's two daughters from his first marriage. She also had two sons with Martin. Sadly, her younger son, Bernhard, passed away during the Second World War. Her older son, Hans Felch von Oldershausen, moved to Chile after the war.
In 1952, Else joined her son in Chile. There, she started flying again! She used Concepción as her base to fly over the amazing Andes mountains.
In the mid-1950s, Else and her son returned to Germany. They settled in Frauenalb in the beautiful Black Forest region. Else went back to her love of painting there. She passed away in Frauenalb on December 6, 1973.
