Gabriel Airplanes and Projects

[hesham]

Hi,

the brothers Pawel and Jan Gabriel were a Polish airplane designers,when they in Germany in 1913,
designer a four gliders (from P.I to P.IV),and after return to Bydgoszez and in 1920,created the
P.V,it was a single seat parasol wing sporting monoplane,looks like Fokker D.VIII and powered by
one 30 hp engine,actually built and flown.

Followed by P.VI was two-seat cantilever wing training biplane,and P.VII two-seat cantilever high-wing
touring monoplane and P.VIII was low-wing single seat sporting airplane,the later was a Project,and
very similar in configuration to Fokker D.VII.

Finally the P.IX was single seat high-wing monoplane Project,powered by one 24 hp engine.

http://www.samolotypolskie.pl/samoloty/1069/126/Gabriel-P-V2
http://www.samolotypolskie.pl/samoloty/1070/126/Gabriel-P-VI-Gabriel-P-VII-Gabriel-P-VIII2
http://www.samolotypolskie.pl/samoloty/1071/126/Gabriel-P-IX2

Polish Aircraft 1893-1939 [Putnam]

 

[Apophenia]

Paweł and Jan Gabriel are associated with the 'Bracia Gabriel' ('Gabriel Brothers') furniture factory in Bydgoszcz. But another Gabriel born in Bydgoszcz with connections to a family furniture factory was 'Willi' Gabriel. Surely he is another brother. If so, the Fokker influence is none too surprising. As Vizefeldwebel Willy Gabriel, he scored 11 kills flying a Fokker D.VII with Jasta 11.

According to this page, 'Willi' Gabriel test-flew a 1923 prototype (presumably the Gabriel P-V) from Bydgoszez but accidentally landed in German territory http://nowosci.com.pl/346541,Zdarzylo-sie-kiedys-w-Bydgoszczy-Pechowy-lot-pilota-Willyego-Gabriela.html

The Samoloty website says that Paweł Gabriel was the designer and that Jan Gabriel flew the prototype P-VI in 1924. Was 'Willi' no longer associated with the airplane side of the Bracia Gabriel factory? Or did 'Willi' change his name to Paweł or Jan?

 

[hesham]

Thank you my dear Apophenia about this Info.

 

[Tuizentfloot]

There were only two Gabriel brothers, and they were twins…

Concerning the activities of the Gabriel brothers German as well as Polish publications keep rather a low-profile. Their planes are German for the former and Polish for the latter…

The twin brothers Walter and Willi Gabriel were born in 1893 in Bromberg in the Prussian Provinz Posen. They took an early interest in aviation and 1910-1912 in Bromberg they built four gliders (later called P I, P II, P III and P IV in Poland). Then they built monoplane on the lines of the Fokker Spinne, which flew in Bromberg in 1912-1913. Willi Gabriel was the leading one of the two.

During World War I both served in the Air Force as pilots. Walter on two-seaters, and Willi as a fighter pilot. Willi Gabriel served in Jasta 11, became an ace with 11 victories, and came in conflict with Hermann Goering.

After World War I the brothers resettled in Bromberg, which by now had become part of the new Poland, and was called Bydgoszcz. They took over the furniture factory of their father, and under the new political circumstances they took Polish first names, Walter became Paweł, and Willi became Jan (about this change of first names, see Samoloty w Lotnictwie Polskim, http:/www.samolotypolskie.pl/samoloty/1067/126/Gabriel-Walter-Pawel).

In Bydgoszcz the Gabriel brothers continued their interest in aviation, and in 1923-1925 they built some light planes.

German and Polish sources give different designations for the Gabriel projects:
- The designations P I to P IV are found only in Polish publications.
- The 1912 monoplane apparently had no designation, neither in German nor in Polish publications.
- The Polish P V is the German P 5.
- The Polish P VI is the German G 6E, and the P VII the G 6D. The P VIII is simply a variant of the G 6 series.
- The Polish P IX is the German L 7a.

Being Germans, even if they took Polish first names, in 1926 the Polish authorities forbade them further aviation activities.

The Gabriel brothers then settled in Berlin-Johannisthal, where in 1928-1929 they built a last sporting biplane, the G 8 Wespe.

Willi Gabriel died in 1968.

Sources:
- Lange, Typenhandbuch der deutschen Luftfahrttechnik (1986)
- Glass, Polskie konstrukcje lotnicze 1893-1939 (1977)
- Glass, Polskie konstrukcje lotnicze do 1939 - Tom 1 (2004)
- Cynk, Polih Aircraft 1893-1939 (1971)

 

[hesham]

Excellent my dear Tuizentfloot,many thanks.

 

[Apophenia]

Indeed! Thanks for clearing that up Tuizentfloot