A PPT material about the first attempts to fly and the history of aviation made by a student involved in the Comenius multilateral partnership “From Icarus to Interplanetary Travels”
Flight and aviation in human history - by Radu Emanuel
1.
2. Romanian aeronautics history represented guidance and brought essential
contribution to scientific and technical thinking of mankind. The Romanian
inventors and pioneers of aviation were of great importance in a key area of
human civilization that was just at the beginning.
The creative genius of Romanians was stated by key achievements in science
and art of flight, aircraft construction, as they have been involved in many areas
including designing and building of some types of missiles - plus multistage,
making reactive or vertical flight, solving the field pulling propeller, design of
aircraft wing "delta" or some other unconventional aircrafts.
3. Traian Vuia is one of the many Romanian world renowned inventors, like
Gregory Brişcu, Henri Coanda, George Arion, Tache Brumărescu, Hermann
Oberth, Nicholas Vaideanu, Basil Dimitrescu and many others who have
remained in the history of aviation because of their inventive spirit to
achieve outstanding performance.
Between 1906-1915, Romanian scientists have solved the problem of
mechanical flight (Traian Vuia), they invented the jet airplane (Henri Coanda),
they have designed and built the first airplane with vertical take-off in the world
that flew on 27 May 1911 (Tache Brumărescu – the first helicopter) and Prof.
Dr. Vasile Dimitrescu made the first two projects of the invisible plane.
4. Military aviators celebrated Romanian Aviation and Air Force, with the
Feast of Saint Elijah Tishbite, patron and protector of Romanian airmen.
On this occasion, at Monument Square in Bucharest Air Aviators, there
is a military and religious ceremony every year, which is held in
memory of all air heroes, military or civilian.
In all garrisons where airships deployed
aviation there are organized demonstrations
and exhibitions to honor the heroes of air.
5. Romanian Air Force has a long tradition, the first flight was made by Aurel Vlaicu in
1910, when the famous pilot and first mission met with the military. In 1912 in
Romania there was the first military pilot school that opened its doors on the
Cotroceni Hill and that was led by Major John Macri.
Pilots and air observers have historically participated in major events involving our
country. Thus, they performed reconnaissance missions and ground connection for
the benefit of our troops in war theater from Bulgaria.
6. Also, anti-aircraft artillery and fighter aircrafts fought heroically to defend the
national territory during the bombings that took place on the southern territory
of Romania between 1943-1944. Romanian Air Force made a decisive leap
during the years 1950-1960 by introducing reactive endowment aviation,
helicopters and surface-to-air missiles, and the establishment on 25 July 1955,
of the third basic weapons : radiological ones.
7. Between 1916-1917, Romania acquired from France and Britain 322 Nieuport
fighter types 11, 12, 17, 19, 21, 23 and 28, for easy recognition and bomber
Farman type 40 and 46; Sopwith Strutter, Caudron G.4 - Bimota for distant
recognition and Breguet-Michelin for bombing and shelling. Twelve machines
were equipped with this type of board Hotchkiss guns of 37 mm, and two
Nieuport Type 11 squadrons were equipped, in addition to board machine guns,
and missile-type rockets "La Prieur" in order to fight against captive balloons .
8. Romanian Air Force was founded in 1910 thanks to the civil society with
the Ministry of War and the first military aircraft was designed and
constructed by the Romanian engineer and aviator Aurel Vlaicu, who
worked at Army Arsenal and flew it on 17 June 1910.
9. Romanian Air Force has seen an important development in 1913, having
supplied 34 military aircrafts, of which 16 were from Bristol-Coanda type. This
plane was designed by Romanian engineer Henri Coanda in 1912 as chief
engineer and technical director in factories from Bristol, England.
10. Romanian Aviation Corps was in office 44 aircrafts, 97 pilots and 84 air
observers. Each of the four Romanian army received an air group. Airmen were
sent to early reconnaissance missions and bombing campaigns on the
northwestern edge of Transylvania.
On 16 September 1916, the crew consisting of a pilot Lieutenant John Colet and
Sergeant observer, on board a Gruia F.40, shot down in a dogfight held near the
city Slobozia in southern Romania, the first German plane.
11. Romanian Air Force aircraft, equipped with 10 local construction "A. Vlaicu. 1 made
under Chitila license, and piloted by Nieuport, Morane-Saulnier and Bleriot, participated
in military maneuvers undertaken between 1911-1912, when Romanian pilots made long
distance air raids on time, about 150-180 km between cities Turnu Severin and
Bucharest, Bucharest and Constanta, Bucharest and Iasi
12. Romanian Air Force has been participating in military personnel deployed
abroad in the last 20 years, the efforts have been made by Romania in
peacekeeping operations, operations support stabilization and
reconstruction in conflict zones.
13. Romanian military aviators provide daily air connection for other types of
forces bringing soldiers in the theater of operations in Afghanistan and in
Western Balkans.
