[1] In the 1890s, the Verein zur Förderung der Luftschifffahrt (an association promoting airflight founded in 1881) conducted scientific balloon ascents to study the upper atmosphere on the initiative of Richard Assmann.

This performed six ascents, two ending in non-fatal crashes; during deflation after its final landing on 26 April 1893, it exploded due to electrostatic charging and burnt.

For his next balloon, the Phönix, Groß developed a variant of the Reißbahn invented by John Wise in 1844.

The Phönix performed 23 manned ascents from 1893 to 1896, a total 180 hours in the air and reached a maximum altitude of 9155 metres on 1894-12-04 with Arthur Berson.

In 1906 Groß rose in rank to Major and became commander of the Royal Prussian Airship Battalion Number 2.