The Fleet

The “Mircea Cantacuzino” School of Aviation started its acvtivity, in 1928,with only one Klemm light aircraft which had 20 HP engine purchased by Mircea Cantacuzino. In 1929, three other 40 HP Klemm light aircrafts were acquired.

After Mircea’s death, on 25 May, the school was left with a single airplane, a situation still existing in 1931 when the school’s reports stated that their activity continued thankfully due to the airplane provided by Ioana Cantacuzino. In reports from 1932, two airplanes are mentioned, one belonging to the school and the other one to Ioana. In October 1932, the school received a donation from the Romanian Association for Aviation Propaganda (A.R.P.A.), consisting of a 100 HP Messerchmitt, a German airplane. The same year, the A.R.P.A. lent the school an 80 HP Messerschmitt light aircraft, to be used for a short period of time.

Only in 1933 did the school appear to have had two light aircrafts again, a 100 HP and a 40 HP Messerschmitt airplane, to be left with only one again in 1934 and 1935.

1936 is the most prolific year in the history of the association and the school, in terms of both activity and number of light aircrafts. Two ICAR Universal (Romanian monoplanes) are mentioned in the activity report of that year, both provided by the State Secretariat for Air (SSA) together with three 100 HP Messerschimitt aircrafts that the school owned.

The school’s internal documents also mention a Havilland Mot light aircraft ordered in 1937. In addition, the school’s order for three Klemm airplanes (from Germany) and three Zlin XII airplanes (from Czechoslovakia) was announced in the newspapers of 1937 to supplement the existing fleet.

It is worth noting that the Mircea Cantacuzino School of Aviation was up to date with the latest news in the aeronautics field. This was achieved by the airplanes it purchased, (either Romanian or foreign), the raids it organised, (in and outside the country), the entrepreneurial actions it developed, (which included leisure flights over Bucharest), aerial advertising services, and gliding.

We invite you on a journey into a fascinating world of planes. Their stories are related to the “Mircea Cantacuzino” School of Aviation