Max Friz

Max Friz ( born October 1, 1883 in Urach, † June 9, 1966 in Tegernsee ) was a German engineer and excellent engine designer. In particular, his work at BMW made ​​him known.

After schooling Friz should actually be a merchant and later take over the family business. But his inclination towards technology was stronger. After four years of teaching in the steam engineering company Kuhn in Cannstatt he attended from 1902 to 1904 in Esslingen am Neckar, the then Royal Baugewerkschule. From 1906 he worked as a designer at the Daimler -Motoren-Gesellschaft in Stuttgart- Untertürkheim, where he served as its first major accomplishment of the Grand Prix automobile engine constructed, with the Christian Friedrich Lautenschlager won the 1914 French Grand Prix. From 1912 on, he designed there as well use a capable four-stroke in-line aircraft engine with an overhead camshaft.

On January 2, 1917, he moved to Rapp Motor Werke GmbH in Munich, whose chief Karl Rapp had first rejected him. Seven months later, the company became the Bavarian Motoren-Werke GmbH (BMW), since 1918 a corporation. Friz was III and IV BMW internationally known soon by the development of aircraft engines BMW. But it was above all the level with the engine BMW IIIa he developed altitude carburetor which the fighter Fokker D VII his opponents made ​​far superior towards the end of the war. On August 10, 1918 Friz received power of attorney.

After the war, the BMW IIIa engine contributed very much to the success of the aircraft Junkers F 13. Because of the impact of the Treaty of Versailles on the German aviation industry Friz and his company turned to the road vehicles. 1922 transferred to the Investor Camillo Castiglioni the engine department of the BMW along with the company name on the former Bayerische Flugzeugwerke AG (BFW ), whose plants were also in Munich- Oberwiesenfeld, and switch their production to engines for a variety of civilian purposes. 1923 Friz sat here with the development of the motorcycle BMW R 32 is a milestone vehicle technology, with a basic concept that is still in use today at BMW. Many sporting achievements and world records were achieved with it.

All these services have paved the way for a post of director (Board member ) at the Bayerische Motoren -Werke AG. He was appointed on April 25, 1925 Technical Director and concurrently chief designer of the company, a position he held until September 13, 1937. He was, among other things, responsible for the development of the German aviation all-important aircraft engine BMW VI. With this engine equipped aircraft used the Norwegian Roald Amundsen for his Polflüge and the Swiss Walter Mittelholzerstrasse for his flight to Cape Town. Many aircraft secretly emerging Luftwaffe were powered by BMW VI. Friz was also much involved in the licensing negotiations with the American company Pratt & Whitney for the engines of the replica " Wasp " and " Hornet ", which brought the further development of the engine BMW in a very different direction to the air-cooled radial engines. Of 21 December 1934 to 15 November 1937, he was Managing Director of BMW BMW subsidiary Flugmotorenbau GmbH. In 1938 Friz took over the management of the new BMW subsidiary aircraft engine factory Eisenach GmbH. In the same year he became a full member of the German Academy for Aeronautical Research in Berlin. 1945 Friz retired and retired to his house at Lake Tegernsee. 1954 awarded him the Technical University of Munich in honor of his contributions honorary doctorate ( Dr. -Ing. Eh). In 1966, he died in Tegernsee.

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