The AUTOFLUG Story
An aviator started the company: Aviation pioneer Gerhard Sedlmayr was a pilot trainee of the Brothers Wright and a record holder
Gerhard Sedlmayr succeededto make an over six hours long non-stop flight at the Johannisthaler Herbstflugwoche in 1913.
In 1st October 1919 Gerhard Sedlmayr founded his “Spezialhaus für das AUTOmobil und FLUGwesen, AUTOFLUG” in Berlin-Johannisthal – the cradle of German aviation
Cooperation with IRVIN starts, as a result of which AUTOFLUG develops into the leading manufacturer of rescue chutes in Germany
In 1931, AUTOFLUG began the manufacture of parachute systems under the licence of IRVIN and Introduced the unique AUTOFLUG Quick Release Connector. Within the next years, AUTOFLUG grew to one of the leading manufacturers of rescue parachutes in Germany
In 1955, Dr. med. Gerhard Sedlmayr – who was the son of the company´s founder and who had a medical doctor´s degree – began to reconstruct the company in Hamburg after the Second World War
In 1958, the company´s headquarters moved to Rellingen in the North-German state of Schleswig-Holstein
During the International Aerospace Exhibition ILA 1958 in Hannover, AUTOFLUG employee Rolf Bullwinkel ejected himself at zero altitude by means of a Martin-Baker ejection seat. Since 1958, AUTOFLUG has been performing repair and maintenance for Martin-Baker ejection seats in Germany as well as has been manufacturing under licence components and…
Read More
The friendship between Dr. med. Gerhard Sedlmayr and Sir James Martin (company founder and chief designer of Martin-Baker Aircraft Ltd., U.K.) proves to be ground breaking for further AUTOFLUG development
In 1968, all STARFIGHTER F-104 G of the Bundeswehr were converted to fully-automatic Martin-Baker ejection seats type MkGQ7A in a combined efort of AUTOFLUG and Martin-Baker. Some 900 STARFIGHTER aircraft were converted within an enormously tight schedule that could be met only because a trained team with long years of…
Read More
The SLB-14 parachute system for the KZO/BREVEL drone was originally designed for a drone take-off weight of 150 kg and a horizontal release speed of 75 m/s. In the course of the development of the KZO aircraft, the maximum take-off weight increased from 150 kg to 172 kg. The further…
Read More
Launch of cooperative model for rescue and safety systems with the German Armed Forces Cooperation between the German Air Force and industry ensures long-term technological participation by integrating military personnel into industrial maintenance and repair processes. This leads to a bundling of military and civilian know-how and to the safeguarding…
Read More
In 2009, the “G-Race Suit” is introduced by Red Bull Air Race to provide pilots with additional protection. To ensure that the oxygen-rich blood stays in the head, the tight-fitting G-Race Suit contains special fluid-filled tubes that change shape under G-forces to prohibit the blood pooling in the lower extremities.…
Read More
As part of the IMRuS – Integrated Modular Rescue and Safety System study, a consortium consisting of Autoflug, ESG, Schuberth, Secumar Ceotronics and BE Aerospace developed a future cross-sectional helmet system for the head protection of flying crews up to a demonstrator. In addition to the classic requirements such as…
Read More
Delivery of NBC protective equipment for flying personnel (Jet) For the crews of aircraft, AUTOFLUG has developed the full-body protective suit protective suit AFP (NBC protection for flying personnel), which protects against NBC hazards by means of overpressure and ensures physical fitness for duty even in extreme heat, while at the…
Read More
See a lecture given by Andreas Sedlmayr, full of remarkable moments from 100 years of flying history – with emotional moments and a lot of smiles. You can find videos from the evening at the video link: www.autoflug.net/GS
Start of series production of AUTOFLUG seat pallets for transport aircraft and helicopters. The seat pallets are explicitly approved for the A400M
Development of a modular protection system against harmful substances for better protection of emergency personnel. The TOXICSHIELD modular protective suit has taken NBC protection for flying crews to a new level of flexibility. By using a new filter layer, the NBC protection can be worn underneath flight service clothing. The…
Read More
AUTOFLUG has turned 100 years, because Gerhard Sedlmayr founded his “AUTOFLUG, Spezialhaus für das AUTOmobil- und FLUGwesen, Gerhard Sedlmayr” company on October 10, 1919. The anniversary party bound by the motto „A CENTURY OF THINKING SAFETY“ was on 25th of October 2019.
With the launch of VoloCity, Volocopter is paving the way for urban air mobility. To ensure safe and comfortable flights between airports and city centers, the company partners with AUTOFLUG to develop wall-mounted seats and supply seating for the VoloCity fleet in the years ahead.
Development of wall-mounted helicopter seats, especially for small helicopters and eVTOLs
Successful qualification and first delivery of the NH90 Mission Troop Seat to Airbus Helicopters
AFG supplies test samples for the new standard pilot helmet for helicopters. The future SFH standard pilot helmet for helicopter crews is being prepared for German aviation approval by Autoflug.
Following the successful completion of the qualification campaign, EASA awarded the ETSO approval to the AUTOFLUG FLYWEIGHT® UP, second member of the FLYWEIGHT® seat family, which has successfully completed qualification campaign and received the approval to flight.
We at AUTOFLUG are proud to have successfully overhauled the 1000th MK16A ejection seat. With every maintenance and repair, we make a crucial contribution to the safety and rescue of pilots worldwide. This milestone exemplifies our commitment and dedication to protecting lives and ensuring technical excellence at the highest level.…
Read More
Following the successful completion of the qualification campaign, EASA awarded the ETSO approval to the AUTOFLUG FLYWEIGHT® UP, second member of the FLYWEIGHT® seat family, has successfully completed qualification campaign and received the approval.
In September 2022, AUTOFLUG was awarded the MIT German SME Award in the Company category. We are delighted to receive the award in recognition of the company’s performance. The more than 100-year history as well as the courage and commitment in restarting AUTOFLUG after the war years were taken into…
Read More
AUTOFLUG researches for FCAS: Innovative Human-Machine Interfaces AUTOFLUG is actively engaged in research and development for the “Future Combat Air System” (FCAS) and places a clear focus on innovative human-machine interfaces (HMI). As part of this groundbreaking project, AUTOFLUG is exploring technologies and solutions that enable seamless and intuitive interaction…
Read More
iMEDCAP: Revolutionizing autonomous emergency care through collaboration with the European Defense Fund The aim of the iMEDCAP project is to develop a user-driven scenario that includes the design and development of autonomous detection of casualties, the automatic definition of an evacuation and rescue strategy and an interoperable patient box with…
Read More
AUTOFLUG is proud to announce the delivery of the PERSONNEL SURVIVAL PACK (PSP) systems for the Bundeswehr’s NH90 helicopters. These specially developed safety systems ensure optimal rescue equipment for the crew and significantly contribute to survivability in emergency situations. The PSP system from AUTOFLUG combines robustness, reliability, and user-friendliness to…
Read More
Handover of the MULTIBASE to the Franco-German air transport squadron in Évreux for testing for use in the C-130, after this was already carried out in 2022 for the A400M by the Wehrtechnische Dienststelle 61
In the first half of 2024, Airbus Helicopters awarded a contract for the development, production and in-service support of helicopter seats for diferent helicopters families. AUTOFLUG is proud to have been elected and to provide more safety seats to the air market.
On December 19, 2014, the first A400M was transferred to Wunstorf. After ten years, the A400M has taken over the central role in the air transport of the German Armed Forces and we at AUTOFLUG are proud to have been part of this project from the very beginning. Among other…
Read More
