Fritz Roesler was born in Alsace ( Germany ) on the December 4, 1892. His parents were August and Louise Esemann Roesler. He naturalized Brazilian in 1932, when he was completing 13 years of his arrival in Rio de Janeiro ( 1919 ).

    Besides being a pilot he was a mechanical engineer having been graduated from the Strassburg Politechnic School in September 1912. He worked in some factories as an assistant engineer.

     In Berlin he had his first voluntary contact with the aviation at the Darmstadt Aeronautic Park. Then he transferred to the School of Aviation factory in Freiburg. In March 1915 he received the military pilot licence. He was pilot of the air squadron, protection bombardment observation and serial photographs. In 1917 and 1918 he was the test pilot in Altenburg and Gotha and chief of pilots of the School of Observers and Aerial Shooters. He received two condecorations: Iron Cross and three medals for bravery.

     When he met the Italian brothers Eurico and João Robba and the official of the Public Force of S.P, lieutenant Reynaldo Gonçalves he could then return to the fascinating world of aviation.

     On January 1922 Fritz was introduced to several Robba`s students. As the Robbas didn`t have much time to give instructions since most of the time they were absent in raids, Fritz accepted the request to give flying instructions in that school. Among the students there were a charming girl called THEREZA DE MARZO who had just bought a French airplane " Caudron G-3 " of 120 HP. She, like some other students had started to fly almost one year before and had been on the ground for months due to the absence of instructors , the Robbas brother. This student was the first Brazilian woman to fly and receive the brevet for the amateur pilot in Brazil number 76 on the 8th April 1922.

    Fritz was also the flying instructor at the school directed by lieutenant Antonio Reynaldo Gonçalves in Indianópolis, but he did it just for a short period. Then he traveled through the interior making raids and aerial propaganda. Still in 1922 opened a mechanical worshop and a garage in society with the brother of Thereza de Marzo.

    He took turns in the activities as aviator and engineer doing what was possible at that time. In 1923 he bought from the pilot Edu Chaves a lot of part and airplanes for the School of Aviation Ypiranga wich belonged to him. With the help of Antonio, Thereza`s brother , he built a hangar. The resource came from the daily trips of the pilots who flew to the city of Santos, where by suggestion of the mayor Fritz appealed to the businessmen to obtain donations with provided the building of the hangar baptized by the name of Thereza de Marzo. Still in 1923 they sold it and moved to the field of Marte after Fritz had closed the activities of the school of Aviation Ypiranga and the Glider Club also by him created.

    The hangar in Marte received the name of "Maneco" in homage to Manuel de Lacerda Franco who was Fritz and Thereza`s friend.

    Fritz got a contract with the "Companhia Anglo-Mexico", of the State, to make propaganda flights, receiving " 50 contos de reis " for 100 hours of flight. It happened that before finishing the contract both parts came an agreement and cancelled what remained to be done.

     On 1928 / 29 the German pilot worked with airplanes Newport for the Company Nistri-Roma that made aerophotogametric survey, in the city of São Paulo.

     On 1933 he helped Mr. Eisenbach to form the Aero-Lloyd Iguaçu. In this year he founded the Empresa Aeronautica Ypiranga together with Henrique Santos Dumont and the pilot Orton Hoover.

     Fritz built the first gliders in our country ( EAY-101 ) ( primaries and secondaries ). He projected and constructed the airplane Ypiranga which he intented to manufacture in series. It was an excellent equipment for tourism flights and piloting instructions. Only five airplanes EAY-201 were built. The first one, the PP- TBF was homologated in Rio on November 1935 and it was not only of the Ypirangas to be recognized in the " Registro Aeronáutico do Brasil "( RAB ) but also the first airplane to be part of it. The last airplane from this pre-series was transladated in flight on the 10th of December 1970 from Campo de Marte (S.P.) to the Aeroespacial Museum on Campo dos Afonsos (R.J.) where it is exposed . Its prefix is PP-TJR. The pilot was Lucy Lúpia.

     The Empresa Aeronautica Ypiranga had Dr. Henrique Santos Dumont as president and as technical director the pilot Fritz Roesler and also Orton Hoover who remained for a short period in the group. The EAY was settled on Campo de Marte in Santana. The Ypiranga project was sold by Fritz Roesler to the "Companhia Aeronáutica Paulista" to Francisco Pignatari. The EAY-201 originally had a French motor Salmon AD radial which was substituted by the motor Franklin of 65 HP. It also went through other changes before being sold. At the C.A.P.before going through new modifications it was transformated in CAP-4 " Paulistinha" but with the same motor of 65 HP. It was diffused at the Brazilian clubs as a primary plane for decades.

THE BIRTH OF VASP - November 04, 1932
    Fritz Roesler`s dream was to create an airway line between São Paulo and Ribeirão Preto. He talked with Henrique Santos Dumont, nephew of the "Father of Aviation" and with the engineer Jorge Corbusier. They loved the idea. They bought two airplanes "Monospar" for 200 "contos de reis" each one. It took then two years saving the necessary money until they could do the transaction. The capacity of the airplane was three passangers and one pilot. It was registered as PP-SPA and PP-SPB. Fritz was in charge of the technical director for six months, after the foundation of VASP.
     The shareholds (72) at the beginning were only 8 distinguished people from São Paulo belonging to the high society.

     As time went by, things at VASP got better chiefly due to the Federal intervener Armando Salles de Oliveira, Dr. Adhemar de Barros`s friend. The capital of enterprise increased to "3 mil contos de reis" being the State the major shareholder. Another founder was Eng. Jorge Corbusier from the city hall of Sao Paulo and who idealized the name V A S P.
     In 1935 time during which the aviation almost closed, Fritz had already returned to direct this piloting school. He contaminated his students with a great aviation enthusiasm.
     FRITZ ROESLER was a Brazilian from all his heart. He dedicated almost all his life to our country and exercise of a passing profession. He eternalized his effort in all the legacy of his gliders and of the "Paulistinhas". He died in São Paulo on the second of July 1971 near Thereza and buried in the Araçá Cemetery.

     Diploma from the " Fédération Aéronautique Internationale number 79 as amateur-pilot and 58 as merchant-pilot.

***

AWARDS :
Germany	Iron Cross and Three medals for bravery.
Brazil	Medal of Aviation Pioneer .

***

-

BIBLIOGRAPHY Books
A Construção Aeronáutica no Brasil	by Roberto Pereira de Andrade, Ed. 1976;
Breve História da Aviação Comercial Brasileira	by Aldo Pereira, Ed. 1987;
História Geral da Aeronáutica Brasileira - vol. II	by INCAER, Ed. 1990 ;
Voo Proibido - Os apuros de uma pioneira	by Captain. Lucy Lúpia Pinel Balthazar, Ed. 1992 / 2001/2003 / 2006 /2010.
The 100 greatest women in aviation	by Liz Moscrop and Sanjay Rampal Ed. 2008
The Conquistadors of the Sky - A History of Aviation in Latin America -	by Dan Hagedorn Ed. 2008

***

Newspapers
Diário de São Paulo	- March 24, 1929 - November 23, 1940 - May 11, 1941
Folha de São Paulo	- July 3, 1971
Correio Metropolitano	- November 26, 1972
A Gazeta	- November 20, 1961 - December 4, 1944