Rudolf Fizir
Encyclopedia
Rudolf Fizir was an airplane constructor, he was born in Ludbreg
, a small town on the river Drava
, in the north of Croatia
. He built 18 original planes, some conversions of landplanes to seaplanes - and a parachute.
Whilst still a senior student, he was offered his first job in Schwerin
, where he worked in the construction of fighter aircraft for the German Fliegerkorps in the new Fokker
-Flugzeugbau factory. From there he was sent to Budapest
, in order to find and organize a Fokker subsidiary.
With a biplane, which Fizir built in 1925, he won the first prize in the 1927 Petite Entente contest. Other aircraft he produced were named after the engines used, such as the Fizir-Mercedes, Fizir-Wright, Fizir-Titan, Fizir-Kastor, Fizir-Gypsi, and the half-metallic Fizir-Jupiter. His successful designs, almost all wooden, were economic to produce, reflecting the low economic power of the pre-World War II Kingdom of Yugoslavia
, wartime Croatia (Independent State of Croatia
) and post-World War II Yugoslavia
, and were highly regarded in Germany and France throughout the 1930s, 40s and 50s. He had a strong affiliation for trainers and seaplanes, having a vision of connecting the Adriatic islands with a regular seaplane service.
His greatest success was the Fizir FN two-seater with dual controls, over 100 of which were built, was in use as a trainer up to 30 years after World War II. Rudolf Fizir was awarded with the Paul Tissandier diploma from the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale
for achievements in aviation, and held the rank of (colonel) in the Croatian Battle Air Force
.
Comprehensive biography in Croatian
Comprehensive biography in English
Some of airplanes
Ludbreg
Ludbreg is a town in Croatia, located halfway between Varaždin and Koprivnica near the river Drava. It has 3,594 inhabitants, and a total of 8,458 in the entire municipality .-History:...
, a small town on the river Drava
Drava
Drava or Drave is a river in southern Central Europe, a tributary of the Danube. It sources in Toblach/Dobbiaco, Italy, and flows east through East Tirol and Carinthia in Austria, into Slovenia , and then southeast, passing through Croatia and forming most of the border between Croatia and...
, in the north of Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
. He built 18 original planes, some conversions of landplanes to seaplanes - and a parachute.
Schwerin
Schwerin is the capital and second-largest city of the northern German state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern. The population, as of end of 2009, was 95,041.-History:...
, where he worked in the construction of fighter aircraft for the German Fliegerkorps in the new Fokker
Fokker
Fokker was a Dutch aircraft manufacturer named after its founder, Anthony Fokker. The company operated under several different names, starting out in 1912 in Schwerin, Germany, moving to the Netherlands in 1919....
-Flugzeugbau factory. From there he was sent to Budapest
Budapest
Budapest is the capital of Hungary. As the largest city of Hungary, it is the country's principal political, cultural, commercial, industrial, and transportation centre. In 2011, Budapest had 1,733,685 inhabitants, down from its 1989 peak of 2,113,645 due to suburbanization. The Budapest Commuter...
, in order to find and organize a Fokker subsidiary.
With a biplane, which Fizir built in 1925, he won the first prize in the 1927 Petite Entente contest. Other aircraft he produced were named after the engines used, such as the Fizir-Mercedes, Fizir-Wright, Fizir-Titan, Fizir-Kastor, Fizir-Gypsi, and the half-metallic Fizir-Jupiter. His successful designs, almost all wooden, were economic to produce, reflecting the low economic power of the pre-World War II Kingdom of Yugoslavia
Kingdom of Yugoslavia
The Kingdom of Yugoslavia was a state stretching from the Western Balkans to Central Europe which existed during the often-tumultuous interwar era of 1918–1941...
, wartime Croatia (Independent State of Croatia
Independent State of Croatia
The Independent State of Croatia was a World War II puppet state of Nazi Germany, established on a part of Axis-occupied Yugoslavia. The NDH was founded on 10 April 1941, after the invasion of Yugoslavia by the Axis powers. All of Bosnia and Herzegovina was annexed to NDH, together with some parts...
) and post-World War II Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
, and were highly regarded in Germany and France throughout the 1930s, 40s and 50s. He had a strong affiliation for trainers and seaplanes, having a vision of connecting the Adriatic islands with a regular seaplane service.
His greatest success was the Fizir FN two-seater with dual controls, over 100 of which were built, was in use as a trainer up to 30 years after World War II. Rudolf Fizir was awarded with the Paul Tissandier diploma from the Fédération Aéronautique Internationale
Fédération Aéronautique Internationale
The Fédération Aéronautique Internationale is the world governing body for air sports and aeronautics and astronautics world records. Its head office is in Lausanne, Switzerland. This includes man-carrying aerospace vehicles from balloons to spacecraft, and unmanned aerial vehicles...
for achievements in aviation, and held the rank of (colonel) in the Croatian Battle Air Force
Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia
The Air Force of the Independent State of Croatia, the Zrakoplovstvo Nezavisne Države Hrvatske was the national air force of the Independent State of Croatia during World War II, founded under German authority in April 1941...
.
External links
- http://library.thinkquest.org/C0127004/TQnovo/izumi/izumiostali_sesnaesti.htm
Comprehensive biography in Croatian
- http://library.thinkquest.org/C0127004/TQnovo/engilsh/other_inventors/other_sixteen.htm
Comprehensive biography in English
- http://www.yumodel.in.rs/history_of_yugoslav_aviation/fizir.htm
Some of airplanes
- http://www.flightglobal.com/pdfarchive/view/1931/1931%20-%200408.html
- http://www.pbase.com/vmarinkovic/image/31008892