The Aviation Museum

On March 2, 1990, by a decision of the Romanian Government, was established the Aviation Museum. It is located in Bucharest, 2-4 Fabrica de Glucoză Street, and can be visited Tuesday-Friday (09.00-16.00) and Saturday-Sunday (10.00-17.00).

The first who launched the idea of an aviation museum was the great Romanian historian and politician Nicolae Iorga. Then, after World War I, the National Aviation League made the first concrete steps, managing to assemble a little museum of war material captured by the Romanian army during military hostilities. After 1970, due to the efforts of generals George Niculescu and Aurel Zărnescu, that at the time were chiefs of the military aviation, at the airbases in Boboc (Buzău County) and Mediaş (Sibiu County) were laid foundations for the future museum. However, following the conclusion of a Protocol, the properties passed to the aviation department of the National Military Museum.

Here you can make a splendid virtual visit in the Aviation Museum. Thanks, Michael Pop!

Since 1989, was accelerated the process of establishment of Aviation Museum. After the official act of Romanian Government, the museum has operated for more than a year in tents, in the 90th Airlift Base. Then the Aviation Museum received a relatively adequate space, at Băneasa Airport, and in 1993 was moved to present location. Current area of museum space is about 60,000 sqm, of which 6.800 sqm built area (including the "Hermann Oberth" Museum Department from Mediaş).

The Aviation Museum was established to honor the illustrious ancestors of the Romanian wing and reunification of the national heritage of prestigious achievements in aviation. To this end, the institution operates in three divisions: National and universal Aeronautics history; Air force engineering; The history of missile and space research (in Mediaş).

The endowment of the institution includes 24 collections and five documentary archives, including a total of over 15,000 titles that belonged Romanian and world aeronautical pioneers, over 20,000 volumes, and a park with 62 museum pieces - aircraft, artillery, air defense missiles, radars. Among the most valuable collections of the museum include: Aurel Vlaicu (personal items, documents, certificates, letters, original photographs, death mask), Henri Coandă (a collection unique in the world, comprising 80 parcels only partly investigated, diplomas, brochures, photos, verbatim reports, signs, original manuscripts, letters, personal items), Smaranda Brăescu (200 original photographs), Elie Carafoli, Henri August (Aircraft maker - original photos from 1909-1910), Petre Ivanovici (pilot in the famous "Red Devils" squadron - original photos and flying books from 1926 to 1931), Radu Manicatide (personal papers and notebooks), Francis Galeno (Bombing Group 5 commander during the Second World War, awarded the highest distinction of aviation - the Order of Aeronautical Virtue in rank of commander), Alexandru Marcus (one of the first Romanian pilots have flown the MiG-21 supersonic aircraft).

Also, the main buildings comprises the following broad areas:
- Traian Vuia Hall, which includes peaks of the Romanian aeronautics
- Henri Coanda Hall - engines, models, etc.
- Radu Manicatide Hall - several types of aircraft built by the famous Romanian engineer
- The uniforms and insignia of the Romanian Air Force in the period 1947-2005 Room;
- The history of radar Room;
- The Department of History of missile and space research in Mediaş, in the house which belonged to Sibiu scientist Hermann Oberth and includes also aspects of work of Romanian astronauts Dumitru Dorin Prunariu and Dumitru Dediu. This section is a museum itself, having 26 rooms.

Unfortunately, the local authorities asked the Romanian Government to pass the area in the administration of the city hall. The land will be used for housing through the National Housing Agency, and the apartments will be received by military professionals and policemen. The decision is very controversial and many NGO fight now for against it.

IAR 80, the prodigy child of Romanian aviation

The IAR 80 was a Romanian World War II low-wing, monoplane, all-metal construction fighter aircraft. When it first flew, in 1939, it was competitive with most contemporary designs like the German Messerschmidt Bf 109E, the British Hawker Hurricane and the Supermarine Spitfire. However, production problems and lack of available armament delayed entry of the IAR 80 into service until 1941. Although there were plans to replace it fairly quickly it was forced to remain in front-line use until 1944, when – even if for some aspects outdated – it still could compete under certain conditions with more modern aircraft such as the Lockheed P-38 Lightning. The aircraft is best known as playing a major role in protecting the oilfields at Ploieşti.

In 1930 the Romanian government issued specifications for a new fighter and the IAR (Industria Aeronautică Română) design team led by Dr. Ion Grosu worked on fighter designs. Work began on the IAR 80 prototype in late 1937, originally with an open cockpit and the 870 HP (649 kW) IAR K14-III C32 engine which was a licensed Gnome-Rhône 14K II Mistral Major. The prototype was completed slowly, and first took to the air in April 1939. Test flights of the prototype were impressive; the aircraft could reach 510 km/h at 4,000 m, service ceiling of 11,000 m, with the ability to climb to 5,000 m in 6 minutes which was respectable at the time. coming, in order, after the British model Hawker Hurricane (570 km/h), the U.S. model Curtiss-Wright P-37 (550 km/h) and the German Messerschmitt Me-109 (520 km/h). The improved model has reached 550 km/h, that places it in the second place.

The IAR 80 family comprises: IAR 80, IAR 80A(1941), IAR 80B, IAR 81 (light strike and dive bomber aircraft), IAR 81B, IAR 81C, IAR 80M (1944), IAR 80DC (1949). After World War Two, the Russians shipped home the entire I.A.R. factory and all aircraft from Braşov, as "war reparations". After the Soviet occupation of Romania, within five years all remaining IAR 80s were scrapped and replaced with Soviet fighters. None of them is known to survive. An IAR 80 post war rebuilt after the fall of Communism and painted in its 1941-1944 original colors was shown at the Mihail Kogălniceanu airshow, near Constanţa.

Specifications (IAR 80)

General characteristics:
* Crew: one, pilot
* Length: 8.9 m (29 ft 2 in)
* Wingspan: 10.52 m (34 ft 6 in)
* Height: 3.6 m (11 ft 10 in)
* Wing area: 16 m² (172.16 ft²)
* Empty weight: 1,780 kg (3,924 lb)
* Max takeoff weight: 2250 kg (4,960 lb)
* Powerplant: 1× IAR K.14-IV C32 air-cooled 14-cylinder double-row radial, 716 kW (960 hp)

Performance
* Maximum speed: 495 km/h at 5,000 m (275 knots, 316 mph mph at 16,500 ft)
* Range: 940 km (507 nm, 580 mi)
* Service ceiling: 10,500 m (34,500 ft)

Armament
* 4 × FN (Browning) 7.92 mm with 500 rounds each mounted in the inner portion of the wing

Source: Wikipedia; visit for more infos!
Images from here.

Traian Vuia

Traian Vuia (pronounced [traˈjan ˈvuja]; August 17, 1872 - September 3, 1950) was a Romanian inventor, who designed, built and flew the first self-propelling heavier-than-air aircraft in Europe, in 1906.

After the graduation of high-school in Lugoj in 1892, he enrolled in the Polytechnic University of Budapest, School of Mechanics where he got his engineering diploma. He then joined the Faculty of Law in Budapest. In May, 1901 he was awarded a Ph.D. degree in Law by the Faculty of Law in Budapest with the thesis "Military and Industry, State and Contract regime".

After graduation, he returned to Lugoj, where he continued studying the problem of human flight and he designed his first flying machine which he called the airplane-car and tried to build this machine, but due to financial constraints, decided to go to Paris, in July, 1902, where he thought he'll find someone interested in financing his project, starting with balloon enthusiasts, but many believed that a flying machine with a density greater than air's could not fly. He then went to Victor Tatin, a known theoretician and experimentator who built an aeromodel in 1879.

Tatin was immediately interested in Vuia's project, but also tried to persuade him that there was nothing he could do, since Vuia's project did not have a suitable engine and it would not be stable enough. But Vuia continued to trust in his project, so he sent it to the Académie des Sciences of Paris on February 16, 1903, presenting the possibility of flying with a heavier-than-air mechanical machine and his procedure for taking off, but it was rejected for being utopian, adding the comments:

The problem of flight with a machine which weighs more than air can not be solved and it is only a dream.

In spite of all these refusals, Vuia did not give up and applied for a patent granted on August 17, 1903 and published on October 16, 1903. Vuia begun to build the flying machine in the winter of 1902–1903. He encountered many difficulties, the most important being of financial nature, but he succeeded in overcoming them. In the autumn of 1904, he began building the engine, also his own invention. In 1904, he got a patent for his invention in the United Kingdom. This aircraft was called "Traian Vuia 1" and it was a single-plane airplane with a high-wing, which was completely built in December 1905. He found a place in Montesson, near Paris, where he could test his airplane, the first experiments started in 1905, at first he used the machine only as a car, without the wings mounted on it, so he could gather experience in driving it, then on March 18, 1906 "Vuia I" was set to take off. He accelerated and after about 50 meters, the plane left the soil and flew at about one meter in height for about 12 meters then the propeller stopped and the aircraft landed.


Many newspapers in France, the US, and the United Kingdom wrote about the first man to fly with a heavier-than-air machine with their own takeoff systems, propulsion units and landing gear. The thing that has been emphasized ever since about Vuia's achievement, is that his machine was able to take off on a flat surface "only by on-board means", without any "outside assistance", be it an incline, rails, a catapult, etc.