Robert Lusser
Robert Lusser | |
|---|---|
| Born | Template:Birth date Ulm, Germany |
| Died | January 19, 1969 (aged 69) Munich, Germany |
| Occupation(s) | Engineer, aircraft designer, aviator |
| Years active | 1920s–1969 |
| Known for | Contributions to Messerschmitt and Heinkel aircraft; reliability theory (Lusser's Law); ski binding innovations |
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Robert Lusser (19 April 1899 – 19 January 1969) was a German engineer, aircraft designer, and aviator renowned for his contributions to several notable Messerschmitt and Heinkel aircraft during World War II. After the war, he became distinguished for his theoretical work on the reliability of intricate systems. Additionally, Lusser was a pioneer in advancing modern ski binding technology by introducing the initial use of teflon anti-friction pads to enhance release mechanisms.
Biography
Born in Ulm, Lusser distinguished himself as a pilot by winning the International Light Aircraft Contest held in France in 1928. He also participated in three of the four FAI International Tourist Plane Contests, flying Klemm aircraft, completing each with commendable rankings: 4th place in Challenge 1929, 13th in Challenge 1930, and 10th in Challenge 1932. In August 1930, he achieved third place in Italy’s handicapped race, Giro Aereo d'Italia.
Lusser began his professional career at the Klemm and Heinkel firms before joining the reestablished Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (Bavarian Aircraft Works) in 1933. There, he collaborated with Willy Messerschmitt on designing a touring aircraft known as the Messerschmitt M37. This model later entered production as the Messerschmitt Bf 108, which subsequently served as the foundation for the company’s most famous product, the Bf 109 fighter. By 1934, Lusser had risen to lead Messerschmitt’s design bureau and took charge of developing the heavy fighter project, the Bf 110. The company was renamed Messerschmitt in 1938.
In that same year, Lusser returned to Heinkel, where he directed the design of two highly advanced aircraft that ultimately did not reach their full operational potential: the He 280 and the He 219. The He 280 was notable as the first jet fighter to be designed but was ultimately overlooked by the RLM (Reichsluftfahrtministerium – "Reich Aviation Ministry") in favor of the Messerschmitt Me 262. The He 219 represented an innovative night-fighter design; however, due to its complexity and numerous novel features, it was rejected by the RLM in August 1941. Following this decision, Ernst Heinkel dismissed Lusser and submitted a simplified version that later saw limited production.
Following his tenure at Heinkel, Lusser joined Fieseler, where he engaged with efforts to develop a pilotless aircraft initially designated Fi 103. This project was a joint venture between Fieseler and engine manufacturer Argus, which was working on a pulsejet engine. Collaborating with Argus engineer Fritz Gosslau, Lusser helped refine this design. Originally initiated by Argus around 1934 with minimal official support, it gained prominence only after Erhard Milch recognized its potential in 1942 and elevated its priority. Nazi propaganda labeled this flying bomb as the V1 (Vergeltungswaffe – "revenge weapon"). It competed directly with Wernher von Braun’s vertically launched "V2" rocket. Despite early demonstrations favoring reliability issues with the V2 over the V1 before Luftwaffe officials, both designs were approved for production. Lusser and von Braun maintained a competitive relationship that remained tense over time. Near Wolfsburg, during production scale-up, Lusser identified a critical design weakness—the main wing spar was underdimensioned—which once corrected allowed successful operation.
A podcast titled "The Man Who Calculated Death" explores both Lusser’s life and the tragic Allied bombing raid that claimed his wife Hilde Lusser’s life at their Bavarian farmhouse in March 1945.
Post-war period
Following the conclusion of World War II, Lusser, like numerous prominent German engineers, was relocated to the United States. There, his career included positions with the Navy and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. In 1953, he rejoined von Braun's rocketry team based in Huntsville, Alabama. Over the subsequent six years, Lusser developed and formalized his reliability theories, which emphasize how the dependability of individual components affects the overall system's reliability. This principle later became known as Lusser's Law. Through these analyses, he concluded that von Braun’s plans to reach the Moon and Mars were destined to fail due to the spacecraft’s inherent complexity.
Lusser eventually returned to Germany and resumed work at Messerschmitt, which had evolved into Messerschmitt-Bölkow by that time. His critical reliability assessment of modifications made to the licensed-built F-104 Starfighter proved to be tragically accurate.
In 1961, while testing ski cable bindings in his hotel room at Saas-Fee, he suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon. This incident inspired him to tackle binding design challenges, leading to the creation of the first bindings that secured the boot’s toe itself rather than clamping onto a flange on the sole’s front. This innovation allowed for multidirectional release of the toe binding. By 1963, Lusser left Messerschmitt to establish the Lusser Binding Company.[1] The brand remained influential until his passing on 19 January 1969 in Munich.
- ↑ "Release!", Skiing Heritage, Fall 2002