One of the technical fields in Romania
\nthat were marked by a fast development after WWI was aviation. With a short,
\nbut solid tradition built before 1914, Romanian aviation benefited from support
\nfrom the state to expand. After several successful experiments conducted by
\naviators such as Traian Vuia, Aurel Vlaicu and Henri Coanda and inventions such
\nas those of Henri Coanda and Gogu Constantinescu, the Romanian state became
\naware of the potential of this field and started investing in the construction
\nof both civilian and military planes. The most important manufacturing unit was
\nthe Romanian Aeronautic Industry in Brasov – known as IAR – , which emerged in
\n1925 and became state property in 1938. In its 20-year long history, up until
\n1944, IAR manufactured 19 types of planes, owned by French, German and Italian
\ncompanies. The best of them were IAR-80 and IAR-81.<\/p>\n
\n
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\n
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Engineer
\nEugen Manolescu worked for IAR since 1938. When he was employed, the Romanian
\nAeronautic Industry comprised the engine factory and the hangars. In the
\nmanufacturing process, plane airframes and engines were manufactured
\nseparately, and subsequently the engines would be mounted in the airframes. <\/p>\n
\n
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In
\nan interview he gave in 1995 to the Oral History Centre of the Romanian Radio
\nBroadcasting Corporation, Manolescu recalls how the staff was selected, from
\namong the best skilled:<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Back then, there were 70 engineers at IAR. Each new employee had to be on
\ntrial for a while, and so was I, for three months. At the end of the evaluation
\nperiod, the results of the tests would be compiled and analysed and the salary
\nestablished based on that. In 1939, a beginner engineer would earn some 10500
\nlei per month. It was quite big, compared to an assistant teacher at the
\nuniversity, for instance, who would earn 4500 lei. So, everybody had to take
\nthose tests. The most difficult tests were those for workers, for specialized
\njobs, such as welders and adjustors. Those people were genuine artists in their
\njob. And again, their salaries were established depending on the results of
\nthose tests. <\/p>\n
\n
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IAR was a very well organized
\nproduction unit, a small technological universe, as Eugen Manolescu described
\nit:<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
The engine factory had a
\nmanufacturing unit for parts, with some 600 employees, an assembly unit for
\nengines, a casting facility for aluminium parts, a treatment facility and a
\nworkshop where the engines and the parts of the engines were tested. There was
\nalso a tool workshop, with equipment used only to produce the tools necessary
\nin the manufacturing process. Each facility had an engine design service and a
\ntool design service. The plant that produced frames was
\norganised in a similar way. It had its own research offices, design offices,
\ntool design equipment, tool treatment units, because in those times the pieces
\nspecific to the aviation industry were made of metal, as opposed to the previous
\ntypes of aircraft, which were built of metal, wood and canvas.<\/p>\n
\n
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When the war
\nstarted, the engines produced in Brasov were up to the technical standards of
\nthe time, but the war required an improvement of performances. Eugen Manolescu.
\n<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
At that time, the local plants
\nproduced 1000 A engines, 1,000 HP and 1,700 HP engines. They had maximum
\nrecovery power at an altitude of 4,500 metres. This means they had special
\ncarburettors so that at high altitude, rated as combat height at that point in
\nthe war, the engine would give maximum power. Later on, at the end of the war,
\nAmerican bombers would come from 7,000-metre altitude, they were pressurised,
\nand additional height was gained in order to prevent anti-aircraft attacks from
\nreaching the planes.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The IAR aviation
\nworks were targeted by American bombers seeking to weaken the combat capacity
\nof Germany’s allies. The American bombing of July 6, 1944 was decisive in
\nannihilating the production capacity of the works. Eugen Manolescu remembers
\nthe 2 American air raids over the IAR. <\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
There were 2 American bombings.
\nIn 1944, I remember it was the Easter, a raid destroyed the entire front side
\nof the works, where anti-aircraft equipment had been installed in order to
\ndefend the plant. It was also there that the bomb shelters were located. They
\nwere destroyed completely and the over 1,000 people inside were killed. On July
\n6th there was a second bombing, which happened to destroy precisely
\nthe engine plant and the plant where I was working at that time. Explosive
\nbombs as well as incendiary bombs were dropped at the same time. So the works
\nhad to be relocated. The tools unit was moved to a hangar in Satu Lung, and the
\nengine plant was relocated to Ucea, where an explosive plant was just being
\nbuilt under German license and had not been rendered operational. The end of
\nthe war found us dispersed, August 23rd came and the entire business
\ncame to an end.<\/p>\n
\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
After
\n1944, IAR only produced small aircraft, mostly training and utility planes and
\nhelicopters. Re-established after 1989, the plant was faced with a period of
\nuncertainty and searching.<\/p>\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
One of the technical fields in Romania that were marked by a fast development after WWI was aviation<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":127,"featured_media":130648,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[41141],"tags":[42823],"coauthors":[],"class_list":["post-130647","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-history-show","tag-iar"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n