Various Yugoslav prewar projects

[bigvlada]

Beside the large factories and often in times well before them, there were numerous projects that were realized in small aircraft shops or even simple sheds.
In former Yugoslavia, Edvard Rusjan, a Slovene, was hailed as one of the early pioneers of domestic aviation. He had seven aircraft projects, the EDA series. During one of his demonstration flights in 1911, he crashed and died near the Belgrade's Kalemegdan fortress (the winds were always treacherous there, although air shows are still performed in that area even today). Last year a commemoration was held in his honor, on the centennial anniversary of his flight.
Sorry, no pictures of EDA 4.

 

[blackkite]

Hi! Thanks for sharing us such a rare Yugoslav aircraft pictures.

 

[Maveric]

The EDA-IV. (uknown source)

 

[bigvlada]

Stevan Vlajković and sons was a small aircraft manufacturer, founded in 1925 in Belgrade. V.Nestorov, a Russian emigrant, designed a small, sport aircraft for them in 1927. Because his Slava (a pre christian tradition,ritual glorification of family's patron saint - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slava) was at Saint George's day, Stevan Vlajkovic named the aircraft Sveti Đorđe (Saint George).


It was probably the first aircraft in Yugoslavia with civilian registration.
wing span 6 m
length 4.30 m
height 1.85 m
empty mass 300 kg
fully loaded 450 kg
max speed 180km/h
cruise speed 150 km/h

At first, the plane had Anzani B with 65 KS (48 KW) but it was later replaced with 60hp Walter NZ engine. The plane was mostly used in aeroshows, even competing in King's Trophy race which was held every September from Belgrade to Novi Sad and back.
In 1927 the plane completed it's longest flight,the Belgrade - Novi Sad - Budapest - Bratislava - Prague route. It was the only foreign plane that came in Prague's exhibition by air. The witnesses said the aircraft's engine sounded much like machine gun fire. There were plans for the serial production but in the end only one plane was ever built. It was removed from service in 1932 and probably scrapped before the war.

 

[bigvlada]

Ivan Sarić was аn early aircraft designer from Subotica (city in Serbia's province of Vojvodina). Born in Croatian Bunjevci family (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bunjevci ) he was an avid cyclist (and car racer) and won several races. In 1909 he met several french aviation pioneers, including Louis Bleriot and got addicted to flying. Immidiately upon his return he begun constructing his own plane.
Sarić 1 was a monoplane of mixed construction, mainly wood and fabric with fixed landing gear.

Engine: a three piston 18,5 kW (25 KS) Anzani
two plate wooden propeller Garuda DRP of 2,21 m in diametar

Performance :
maximum speed: 50 km/h
Dimensions: wing span 8,50 m
length: 7.50 m
wing area: 19,50 m2
Weight:
take-off 320 kg

First flight was performed on October 16th 1910, on Subotica hippodrome. Around 7000 spectators waitnessed the flight at the altitude of around 30 metres.
In 1911, Sarić built his second aircraft, Sarić 2, using the more powerfull 50hp engine of his own design. There were contrasting evidence about him designing a helicopter during the first world war. He was in Budapest during the war and he did worked with hungarian designers on vtol craft but I don't know how much of it is his own design.
He survived both world war and was an active member in various aircraft and automobile clubs. Interesting part is, parts of his plane were stored on the attic of his house for decades. He helped in the building of replica of his first plane and donated the parts, including the seat and model of the helicopter design (the museum probably still has it). He lived to see his plane in the museum and when the work on the replica was finished, he told his wife: Here's our plane. He died at the age of 91. Air club in Subotica bears his name.

 

[bigvlada]

Mitrović MMS 3 - a small aerotaxi, for three passengers. It was built at Aeroput facilities. Aeroput was prewar national air carrier, the predecessor of JAT (Jugoslovenski aerotransport - Yugoslav airways)


Wing span: 11,60m
Lenght: 7,40m
Height: 2,25m
Empty weight: 600kg
Fully loaded: 1000kg
Minimal speed: 75km/h
Cruising speed: 213km/h
Maximum speed: 236km/h
Ceiling: 6000m
Engines: two Pobjoy Niagara 75hp engines

 

[iffig]

Other details here:

http://p-d-m.livejournal.com/179665.html

Regards

 

[bigvlada]

That's a nice 3-view.
The plane was presented in Godišnjak VVKJ (Yearbook of the Royal Yugoslav Air Force) in 1936. The photograph is from that publication.

 

[bigvlada]

I had a dilemma where to put this man. Ognjeslav Kostović Stepanović was a serbian inventor, born in Austro-hungarian empire, but spent most of his life in Russia. It caught my attention because he spent his childhood in Novi Bečej, municipality in Serbia's northern province of Vojvodina where I have relatives. Reading through monography about the history of the town, I've stumbled upon him.
It seems that Kostovic tried to build dirigible and aerial torpedo, built 8-man submarine with internal combustion engine, 80HP 8-cylinder internal combustion engine, invented form of plastic and had around 100 patents.
There is wikipedia page about him, but put more than a grain of salt at claims of world firsts. An interesting individual nevertheless.
http://sr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Огњеслав_Костовић_Степановић


I've dug up an book about him, in Russian.
Г.Т. Черненко «Жизнь и необыкновенные изобретения капитана Костовича»
http://www.russkiymir.ru/russkiymir/ru/magazines/archive/2011/02/article0008.html

 

[theponja]

Thanks for this very interesting information on Yugoslav projects.
The Saint George and Mitrović MMS could be great modeling subjects.

 

[Stingray]

Ivan Sarić was аn early aircraft designer from Subotica [...] There were contrasting evidence about him designing a helicopter during the first world war. He was in Budapest during the war and he did worked with hungarian designers on vtol craft but I don't know how much of it is his own design.
He survived both world war and was an active member in various aircraft and automobile clubs. Interesting part is, parts of his plane were stored on the attic of his house for decades. He helped in the building of replica of his first plane and donated the parts, including the seat and model of the helicopter design (the museum probably still has it).

From Slovenian magazine Krila 4, 1957, on page 118, the model helicopter:

 

[robertino]

ivan sarić model 3