Edvard Rusjan

Edvard Rusjan (* June 6, 1886 in Trieste, † January 9, 1911 at Belgrade ) was an Austria - Hungarian aviation pioneer.

Edvard Rusjan, son of a Fassbinder also learned the trade of a Fassbinder in Gorizia in the family business. In the years 1900 to 1908 Rusjan dealt with the construction of aircraft models. The following year he switched to right aircraft. From an airplane engine manufacturer Anzani, whom he met on the flight week in Brescia, he was an aircraft engine with an output of 22-25 hp. In return, they worked together in the development of aircraft models. The engine was used for all aircraft models named DFA I- VII, which he built with his older brother Josip (* 1886).

  • EDA I: With the biplane he flew for the first time on 25 November 1909 in the vicinity of Gorizia. This was the first powered flight with a homemade in Austria - Hungary.
  • EDA VI was a monoplane modeled after Blériot. Rusjan flew with the pilots home and Sablatnig in Gorizia in June 1910.
  • EDA VII enabled as a half decker already taking along a passenger.

The engine of Anzani proved to be too weak and so he bought with his new partner, the entrepreneur Merčep from Zagreb in Paris a motor with 50 hp, the Gnôme. By plane Merčep - R, which partially had the Etrich pigeon as a model, Rusjan flew in November and December about 20 times over Zagreb. To lift Rusjan needed with this airplane only about 28 meters. This was the world's shortest runway necessary at this time.

In 1911 Rusjan died in a crash caused by bad weather in Belgrade killed.

His brother Josip tried to continue working with Merčep. To this end, he built him even more aircraft. He tried to find a job even with Blériot. When this failed, Josip went to Argentina.

In 2009, the Bank of Slovenia honored the pioneering aviator Edvard Rusjan occasion of " 100th anniversary of the first powered flight over Slovenia " by the issuance of collector coins to 3 EUR, 30 EUR and 300 EUR

Sources

  • Edvard Rusjan. In: Austrian Biographical Encyclopaedia 1815-1950 ( ÖBL). Volume 9 Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna, 1988, ISBN 3-7001-1483-4, p 332
  • Flight and Engine Technology: Austrian. Aeroplan EDA I of brothers Rusjan, 1909, page 5
  • Air Sports I. flyer Rusjan, 1909
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