Heinrich Kostrba Hauptmann Heinrich ( Jindřich ) Kostrba was an Austro - Hungarian aviator ( of Czech origin ) , the first which to score three victories in a single day , on 18 February 1916 , and three more on 29 June 1916 . He went on to amass eight aerial victories and become a squadron leader and flying ace . As World War I ended , Kostrbra helped the Czech independence movement overthrow the Austro - Hungarian government . He became the first commanding officer of the Czechoslovak Air Force . On 24 September 1926 , he was killed in a midair collision . Early life and service . Heinrich ( Jindřich ) Kostrba was born in Prague in 1883 . His family was ancient Bohemian minor nobility , the titular surname being Kostrba ze Skalice . Kostrba joined the Austro - Hungarian Army ' s 73rd Infantry Regiment in 1903 . By 1911 , he had risen to oberleutnant by May 1911 . His early interest in aviation saw him qualify as an aerial observer even before the start of World War I . World War I service . See also Aerial victory standards of World War I Kostrba accompanied Flik 8 of the Imperial and Royal Aviation Troops into combat in Russia in 1914 . He quickly won the Military Merit Cross 3rd Class , as well as the German Iron Cross 2nd class . He was also promoted to Hauptmann in May 1915 . In July 1915 , Kostrba was transferred to Flik 6 on the Isonzo Front in northern Italy . He trained there as a pilot , qualifying in October 1915 . He then served as both deputy commander and pilot in Flik 6 , flying both Hansa - Brandenburg C . I two - seater reconnaissance planes and a Fokker Eindekker . On 18 February 1916 , using Fokker Eindekker serial number 03 . 51 , he scored three confirmed victories , though two were shared with other pilots . In March 1916 , Kostrba was granted command of Flik 23 . Here he would fly only the Hansa - Brandenburg C . I , but would score five additional confirmed aerial victories between 7 June and 20 August 1916 . In November 1916 , he was transferred to command of " Fliegerersatzkompanie 2 " . In late 1918 , as the war was winding into its finale , Kostrba was appointed to command of Prague ' s Military Police . The connection between impending war ' s end and his appointment to this new command are unclear . However , when General Kestranek was arrested by the Czechs to overthrow the Austro - Hungarian government , it was Kostrbra who sent Hungarian and Romanian troops back to their barracks instead of letting them repress the coup . Postwar service . Within a few days after the 28 October 1918 Czech proclamation of independence , Kostrbra was recruiting pilots for the nascent Czech Army Air Corps . He became its first commanding officer . He was removed from command after a year ' s service , although not for deficiencies in military skills . Kostrbra had both a personality conflict and ideological differences with Foreign Minister Edvard Beneš which led to dismissal . In 1921 , Kostrbra returned to the Czech Army Air Corps as a squadron leader . In September 1926 , he was in the process of resigning from the military to pursue a career with the Czech state airline . However , about a week before his resignation took effect , he was assigned to lead a formation of Yugoslavian pilots from Prague to Warsaw on 24 September . Another plane fatally collided with him during formation takeoff at an altitude of about 30 feet ( nine meters ) . On 28 September 1926 , Heinrich ( Jindřich ) Kostrba was honored with a funeral cortege through the streets of Prague ; his coffin was displayed atop an airplane fuselage during the procession .