The first flight permit dated May 5, 1919 required the Aerogesellschaft Zürich-Schwamendingen “to keep a copy of all recorded films or plates, with consecutive numbering, always in an orderly manner for the control bodies of the Aerodrome Management Dübendorf. All films, plates, copies and enlargements produced had to bear the consecutive number of the original recording and the label of the Aerogesellschaft”.
Ad Astra-Aero Photo Ltd. continued the photo collection started by Studer, Mittelholzer & Comte. Renamed Swissair-Photo Ltd. in 1934, the firm was headed by Walter Mittelholzer until 1937. In 1972, Swissair-Photo Ltd. merged with Weissmann Vermessungen Ltd. to form Swissair Photo and Surveys Ltd.
In 1997, the Foundation “Luftbild Schweiz” was established to safeguard the historical aerial photo archive. From 2001, the Air Force Museum in Dübendorf housed the archive; since 2009 it has been integrated into the collection of the ETH Library in Zurich.
The Image Archive of the ETH Library with its historically and culturally extremely valuable collection of the Swissair Photo Archive is a main source for pictures from earlier days of Swiss civil aviation. The digitized images of the ETH E-Pics platform are accessible as free downloads by using an appropriate search term.
Web address of ETH Zurich e-pics Image Archive Online:
http://ba.e-pics.ethz.ch/#1609882818696_1
(Search term e.g. “CH-142” or “Dornier Komet”)
Last modification 2021.01.14. – DR