Joachim Kuettner

As Germany's legal and political structure deteriorated in the 1930s, Kuettner switched gears to earn a second doctorate, this time in meteorology.

For his dissertation, he deployed 25 instrumented gliders to gather data on lee waves, the newly discovered features forming downwind of mountains.

[1] Kuettner became a test pilot and engineer at Dornier, Messerschmitt, and Zeppelin, and flew 45 types of aircraft during this time.

He spent three years studying many atmospheric phenomena, including thunderstorm electricity, at the observatory atop the Zugspitze, the highest point in Germany.

[13] Kuettner attributed his sustained love of atmospheric research to two traits: "curiosity and joy of adventure.