“HENRI COANDA” “GENERAL M.R. STEFANIK” AIR FORCE ACADEMY ARMED FORCES ACADEMY SLOVAK REPUBLIC

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE of SCIENTIFIC PAPER AFASES 2015 Brasov, 28-30 May 2015

FOUNDATION OF THE EARLY PILOTING SCHOOLS IN ROMANIA

Eduard Mihai*, Oliver Ciuică*

*Faculty of Aeronautical Management, “Henri Coandă” Air Foce Academy, Braşov, Romania

Abstract: The current paper focuses on the topic of the early schools of piloting due to the fact that, on the one side, on the 1st of April, 2015, we celebrate the 20th anniversary of “Henri Coanda” Air Force Academy of Brasov – the successor of the Romanian military aeronautical education, and on the other side, in our opinion, knowledge of traditions of the military piloting school stands for a necessity when forming and professionally training military pilots. The history of the Romanian piloting school represents the foundation of the local military aeronautical education, both at present and for the future.

Keywords: aeronautical education, school of aviation, pilots

1. INTRODUCTION of the first Romanian pilots, all of which assuring the optimum conditions for the We can state that Romania’s foundation of the Romanian military aviation. contribution to the founding of aviation, through its national pioneers, was sound and 2. THE PILOTING SCHOOL FROM the Romanian aeronautics left its imprint on CHITILA the early world aeronautics. Among the Romanian inventors who contributed to the The Romanian lawyer Mihail Cerchez, flight development by means of apparatuses born at Bârlad, Galati County, is the initiator heavier than the air, a distinct role was played of the first school of piloting in our country. by Traian Vuia, and Henri While in , Mihail Cerchez got fascinated Coanda. In this context, the emergence of a by the flights performed by the aviation school or schools of piloting in our country pioneers, such as Traian Vuia, Alberto Santos- was inevitable; consequently, in the following Dumont or Louis Blériot. Animated by the sections of this paper, we are going to detail on frenzy of flight and motivated by the these aspects. appearance of the schools of piloting in At the beginning of the past century, in France, Cerchez returned to his own country in , there were established the earliest the summer of 1909 and decided to establish a schools of piloting. In this respect, airships school of piloting. from other countries were purchased; specially Being in possession of a reduced financial designed workshops were set for the support, Mihail Cerchez found himself in the maintenance and repairing of the technique, position of asking for help from friends and and, at the same time, there started the training acquaintances, so as to accomplish his dream, and on the 20th of November he managed to apparatuses, lacking good aerodynamic record a constitutive document entitled performances and holding poor feasibility. The “Company Contract”. Cerchez, together with biggest disadvantage of the time was the fact other twenty-nine people, on the one side, and that the flight instructor could not participate the Romanian state, on the other, makes legal in flight together with his trainee, since aircraft the birth certificate of the company meant “to were not double-seaters and the pilot under exploit the air locomotion under all its training had to learn all the flight maneuvers aspects” [3], at the Ilfov Court of Justice. on the ground. The company starts its activity in the Throughout the month of July of the year summer of 1910, on the field near Chitila, 1911, the School of Piloting from Chitila where the first aerodrome of the Romanian scored its first successes. Out of its trainees, aviation was settled. The Romanian lawyer two officers that proved to be more advanced managed to have five hangars built over there, in their training, managed to start their flight some workshops necessary for the training sessions requested for the obtaining of construction and repairs of the airships, stands their pilot Licenses. Accordingly, on the 9th of for the lookers-on and some administrative July, the Second Lieutenant tefan buildings for the employees. Once the Protopopescu obtained the first License issued infrastructure had been completed, Mihail in our country, followed by the Second Cerchez purchased four aircraft fro France: Lieutenant Gheorghe Negrescu, with his third two biplane aircraft of Farman type that were License issued on the 17th of July. destined to carrying out the training flights of Another achievement of the school the future pilots, one Demoiselle aircraft and a established by Mihail Cerchez is represented Wright aircraft for the ground instruction. by its participation, with two Farman aircraft, Later on, Cerchez managed to have the in the army’s maneuvers from Moldova, in the Farman aircraft constructed in his school’s fall of the year 1911. The School of Piloting workshops, under a French patent. from Chitila supported the 3rd Armed Corps of Nicolae Filipescu, the Minister of War at our army and obtained pretty satisfactory that time, foreseeing that aviation might be results for that time. used during military operations, at Mihail Unfortunately, due to the wreckage of the Cerchez’ recommendation, approved of the airships and upon the commander of the pilots- future military pilots to be trained at the trainees’ recommendations, major Macri, School of Piloting from Chitila. toward the end of that year, the state ceased Starting with the 1st of April 1911, the the financial support of the School of Piloting School of Piloting from Chitila received “six from Chitila and decided to settle a new school officers: Major Ioan Macri, Captain Fotache at Cotroceni, which was this time subordinated Ionescu, First Lieutenant Stelian Boiangiu and to the armed forces. Mihail Cerchez tried to Second Lieutenants Ştefan Protopopescu, recover the logistics of the school from Chitila, Gheorghe Negrescu and Ştefan Druţu”[5] to but, in the absence of airships and specialized be trained as military pilots. Meanwhile, the flying personnel, and most importantly, in the Ministry approved the funding for the absence of financial resources, Lawyer construction of four Farman aircraft, at the Cerchez was forced to close both the school school’s workshops, so as the first military and its premises. pilots should be trained on them. Thus, we can Mihail Cerchez will be considered, by the state that the first school of piloting began its history of the Romanian aviation, the initiator activity in Romania, having the six officers for of the very first training school for pilots, of its trainees, to whom Polihroniade Vacas, a the first airdrome and of the first premises for volunteering adolescent adhered later on. fixing and building airships, just the same as The first pilots-trainees put enormous his school of piloting, even if its existence was efforts in their flight training on the aircraft rather short, will be remembered by the history found in the school’s logistics because all the of the local aviation as the place where our aircraft of the early time were fragile

“HENRI COANDA” “GENERAL M.R. STEFANIK” AIR FORCE ACADEMY ARMED FORCES ACADEMY ROMANIA SLOVAK REPUBLIC

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE of SCIENTIFIC PAPER AFASES 2015 Brasov, 28-30 May 2015

first aviators-pioneers of the Romanian army Corps” [2] and executed reconnaissance and were trained and specialized. intelligence missions in favor of the troops deployed between Roman and Pascani. 3. THE PILOTING SCHOOL FROM COTROCENI 4. THE MILITARY SCHOOL OF PILOTING FROM COTROCENI Returned from France, Prince George Bibescu “brought with him one Voisin Canard “Based on the High Decree of 27 of March aircraft and one Blériot aircraft (the airship 1912” [2], on the 1st of April, 1912, the that managed to cross its constructor across Military School of Piloting was established, the English Channel), having the intention to and it replaced Price Bibescu’s school, under establish a piloting school. For the same the management of Major Ion Macri. The purpose, later on, he ordered three more latter had completed some courses in Paris, Blériot aircraft. The school began its activity and, upon his return to Romania, brought to on the field nearby Cotroceni, in the summer the country the project necessary for the of 1911, less than one month after the Piloting construction of a new Farman aircraft, model school from Chitila had begun its activity.” [3] of 1912. The Ministry of War, upon the In the month of April, 1912, the Minister of recommendation of Prince Bibescu, in his War ordered that 20 officer belonging to all capacity as the school Principal, ordered the army branches should be deployed to this deployement of three officers to this school – newly founded school to learn how to fly an “Lieutenant Mircea Zorileanu and Nicolae aircraft. The flight training of the first Capşa of the Cavalry, and Lieutenant promotion of trainees-officers of the School of Constantin Istrate of the Navy” [5], for the Piloting from Cotroceni took place in two purpose of their obtaining the pilot Licenses. stages: the former one comprised flying two- After being granted the army’s support, seaters Farman aircraft, under the supervision Bibescu brought three more Blériot aircraft to of the flight instructors – the Second his school. Lieutenant Ştefan Protopopescu and Gheorghe Found in a real competition with the School Negrescu, whereas the latter implied the of Piloting from Chitila, George Bibescu’s continuous training on Blériot airships, under school was to gain notable results at the time the supervision of the flight instructors, the when Lieutenant Mircea Zorileanu obtained Lieutenants Mircea Zorileanu and Nicolae the second pilot’s License conferred in our Capşa. the School of Piloting from Cotroceni country, on the 15th of July 1911, and Second was under the command of the Engineers and Lieutenant Nicolae Capşa obtained the pilot’s it displayed a very good organization for that License no. 4, on the 18th of July. time. During the first year of the school, only Similarly with the school managed by Lieutenant Simion Chi căneanu managed to Mihail Cerchez, another achievement of the graduate and he was conferred the pilot’s school of Cotroceni was the participation, with License no. 5, on the 16th of June. This fact three Blériot aircraft, at the maneuvers was due to a reduction in the flight activity, executed by the army troops that had taken after the month of June of the year 1912. The place in Moldova, in the fall of 1911. The reduction in the flight intensity was partly School of Piloting from Cotroceni was active caused by the accident of the 20th of June, within the “Army Group North, the 4th Army when Lieutenant Simion Chişcăneanu died, and on the other side, due to the lack of 6. CONCLUSIONS & airships that broke so often that the ACKNOWLEDGMENT maintenance workshops could not keep up with the repairs. The next year the school The existence of the piloting schools, the managed to have 15 pilots licensed, among training of the officers-pilots at these schools, whom was Sergeant Polihroniade Vacas, who as well as the successful use of airships- had participated at the military maneuvers during the military maneuvers from 1911 and from the fall of the year 1911, but because of 1912-, constituted the reasons that made the some misunderstandings he only gained his Romanian authorities to approve of the law for license so late. the foundation of the Romanian military The military school of piloting from aviation. Thus, on the 1st of April, 1913, the Cotroceni trained numerous pilots. Until law was voted and it granted the establishment Romania’s participation in the First World and functioning of the MILITARY War, many of them had proved their value AERONAUTICS as a distinct branch of the during the battles of the years 196 and 1917. Romanian armed forces. This law was published in the Official Record no. 15 of 20th 5. THE FLYING SCHOOL OF THE of April, 1913 as the “LAW FOR THE NATIONAL AERONAUTIC LEAGUE ORGANIZATION OF THE MILITARY AERONAUTICS” [2], whereas, for the history The fourth school of piloting mentioned by of the Romanian military aviation, the day of the annals of aeronautics was established in the 10th of August, 1913, when the Permanent the year of 1912, from the initiative of the Corps of Aeronauts was established through same enthusiast, George Valentin Bibescu, the High Decree no. 305, remained the most who had not given up his desire of promoting important. the aeronautics. Through his and other In conclusion, we can state that the contemporary people’s effort, on the 5th of understanding and awareness of the May 1912 the National Air League was component phases of the forming process of founded. It was meant to “equip the Romanian military pilots start from the identification of Army with airplanes” [1], fact mentioned by the historical landmarks of the Romanian article 1 of the league’s Charter. As a result, school of aviation, necessary for its integration the collection of funds was possible in a within a continuum. relatively short interval of time, which allowed This work was possible with the financial for a new aerodrome to be constructed at support of the Sectoral Operational Baneasa and also for the National Aeronautic Programme for Human Resources League School of Piloting to be established. Development 2007-2013, co-financed by the In order to equip the school, Bibescu European Social Fund, under the project purchased six aircraft, out of which four were number POSDRU/159/1.5/S/138822 with the Blériot monoplanes and two were Farman title “Transnational network of integrated biplanes, afterward, he proposed to the management of intelligent doctoral and Minister of War to agree with his training of postdoctoral research in the fields of Military military pilots. “The Minister approved of his Science, Security and Intelligence, Public proposal…, at the same time the Minister order and National Security – Continuous ordered the deployment of the two flight formation programme for elite researchers - instructors, Mircea Zorileanu and Nicolae “SmartSPODAS”.” Capşa- who had worked for the second stage at Cotroceni, and their two Blériot monoplanes to the school from Baneasa, together with the trainees that had been selected for the school from Cotroceni”.[2]

“HENRI COANDA” “GENERAL M.R. STEFANIK” AIR FORCE ACADEMY ARMED FORCES ACADEMY ROMANIA SLOVAK REPUBLIC

INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE of SCIENTIFIC PAPER AFASES 2015 Brasov, 28-30 May 2015

REFERENCES la istoricul aeronauticii, Bucureşti: Editura Militară (1966). 1. Costescu, G., Începuturile aviaţiei române, 5. Vasiu, C.P., Şcoala aripilor româneşti, Bucureşti: Tipografia Presa (1944). Bucureşti: Editura Militară (1978). 2. Iordache, C-T., Pruia, A., Despre învăţământul aeronautic din România, Bucureşti: Editura Redacţia Publicaţiilor pentru Străinătate (2009). 3. Negrescu, G., Din amintirile unui vechi aviator, Bucureşti: Editura Militară (1977). 4. Şendrea, C., Gudju, I., Iacobescu, G.,

Ucrain, C-T., Aripi româneşti. Contribuţii