Dragutin Novak
Encyclopedia
Dragutin Karlo Novak was first person in Croatia
to make a heavier-than-air flight. He flew a plane constructed by Slavoljub Eduard Penkala
, June 22, 1910.
Novak flew in an airplane made by constructor Slavoljub Penkala from the military training-field in Črnomerec
, Zagreb
. Later, during one of Novak's flying achievement, on 20 October 1910, the airplane was damaged and Penkala gave up aircraft design.
19 street. During his youth, his parents died so his aunt cared for him, "harmonizing" his life. He attended elementary school in Zagreb, then went to convent school in Tropavy (Silesia
). He then continued in mechanical trade, specializing in mechanics
. In 1910, he left Zagreb and went to his sister in Budapest
, where he was successful in an airplane competition. Shortly afterwards, he returned Zagreb and took employment in the business of Slavoljub Penkala, who was engaged in the construction of airplanes, becoming his right hand in manufacturing and proving the flight characteristics until the first flight in Croatia. He worked there until Penkala’s decision to abandon further work on airplanes.
from Slovenia
to Zagreb. Financially aided by Merčep, they started to build their own airplane. (Otherwise, in spite of the impression created in and about a part of the community, mainly by his merit, Mihajlo Merčep bad never taken to flying himself, nor he was a constructor or similarly; he was the entrepreneur who decided to share the glory of Edvard Rusjan and later of Dragutin Novak, deciding that the future of aviation is knocking on the door.) Novak joined them and helped in the construction and building of an airplane. By the end of 1910, Edvard Rusjan was test flying over Zagreb. After Edvard Rusjan was killed in Beograd, in 1911, Novak worked with Joško Rusjan on the handful of versions of Rusjan's airplanes (now Merčep – Rusjan's), and essentially improved the controls for the pitch (elevators
) and roll (ailerons).
and Budapest. Later, he was awarded the winning award – in 1912 – during an aero-meeting in Graz
, where he crashed. He was abandoned by fame-thirsty boss Merčep, who even left him alone in a hospital. That was the point of no return in their cooperation. After leaving the hospital, Novak worked in the Puch factory. In 1913, he returned to Croatia, and was employed as a motor-mechanic near Križevci.
service. After a short period of service in the army
(infantry) he was transferred to the air force of the Austria-Hungarian kingdom
. He won the Gold medal for courage and bravery, and then the Argent Medal first class, the title of Fieldpilot and the Cross with wreath. At the beginning of 1916, after he was wounded during an air battle (when after an explosion near the airplane he went deaf in the left ear), he was promoted to the post of flight-teacher in the most important military-pilot school in the Monarchy in the Wiener Neustadt
. He won pilot's degrees for military and civil services. After the end of the First World War he refused to serve in the Austrian army, and returnedto his family
.
. With his family he moved to Križevci where for a short while he worked in a steam-powered flour-mill, then he returned to Zagreb and wasg employed at the Anatomy institute of the Medicine faculty. In 1923, he was again in Križevci working in the town's electric power plant. In 1927, he founded in Križevci his own transport enterprise, providing a bus
and taxi
service. After 1945, he remained without his auto-park and in 1948 he became director of the city auto-bus enterprise in Križevci. From 1949 to his retirement in 1954, he worked in agricultural engineering, again in Križevci. After 50 years, in 1970, he returned to his home town Zagreb, together with the family. He died in his 86th year of life, on 31 October 1978.
there is a street named after him. The city of Križevci honored with a memory-plate on the house in which he had lived and worked, and by naming the neighboring promenade Dragutin Novak. The local aero-club is named after him.
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 ...
to make a heavier-than-air flight. He flew a plane constructed by Slavoljub Eduard Penkala
Slavoljub Eduard Penkala
Slavoljub Eduard Penkala was a naturalized Croatian engineer and inventor of Polish-Jewish ethnicity.Eduard Penkala was born in Liptovský Mikuláš , to Franjo Penkala, who was of Polish Jew heritage, and Maria Penkala , who was of Dutch heritage...
, June 22, 1910.
Novak flew in an airplane made by constructor Slavoljub Penkala from the military training-field in Črnomerec
Crnomerec
- References :...
, Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
. Later, during one of Novak's flying achievement, on 20 October 1910, the airplane was damaged and Penkala gave up aircraft design.
Childhood and youth
Novak was born in Zagreb, in IlicaIlica (street)
Ilica street is one of the longest streets in Zagreb and considered to be the most expensive residential street in the city. The busy street is home to many shops and cultural sites and spans the entire western half of the city, from the Ban Jelačić Square in the city centre up to the Črnomerec...
19 street. During his youth, his parents died so his aunt cared for him, "harmonizing" his life. He attended elementary school in Zagreb, then went to convent school in Tropavy (Silesia
Silesia
Silesia is a historical region of Central Europe located mostly in Poland, with smaller parts also in the Czech Republic, and Germany.Silesia is rich in mineral and natural resources, and includes several important industrial areas. Silesia's largest city and historical capital is Wrocław...
). He then continued in mechanical trade, specializing in mechanics
Mechanics
Mechanics is the branch of physics concerned with the behavior of physical bodies when subjected to forces or displacements, and the subsequent effects of the bodies on their environment....
. In 1910, he left Zagreb and went to his sister in 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...
, where he was successful in an airplane competition. Shortly afterwards, he returned Zagreb and took employment in the business of Slavoljub Penkala, who was engaged in the construction of airplanes, becoming his right hand in manufacturing and proving the flight characteristics until the first flight in Croatia. He worked there until Penkala’s decision to abandon further work on airplanes.
Flying in the sky of Zagreb
He was invited to join photographer and entrepreneur Mihajlo Merčep, who had a hangar next to with Penkala’s. He brought his brothers Joško and Edvard RusjanEdvard Rusjan
Edvard Rusjan was a Slovene flight pioneer and airplane constructor. He died in an airplane crash in Belgrade.- Biography :Rusjan was born in Trieste, then the major port of Austria-Hungary...
from Slovenia
Slovenia
Slovenia , officially the Republic of Slovenia , is a country in Central and Southeastern Europe touching the Alps and bordering the Mediterranean. Slovenia borders Italy to the west, Croatia to the south and east, Hungary to the northeast, and Austria to the north, and also has a small portion of...
to Zagreb. Financially aided by Merčep, they started to build their own airplane. (Otherwise, in spite of the impression created in and about a part of the community, mainly by his merit, Mihajlo Merčep bad never taken to flying himself, nor he was a constructor or similarly; he was the entrepreneur who decided to share the glory of Edvard Rusjan and later of Dragutin Novak, deciding that the future of aviation is knocking on the door.) Novak joined them and helped in the construction and building of an airplane. By the end of 1910, Edvard Rusjan was test flying over Zagreb. After Edvard Rusjan was killed in Beograd, in 1911, Novak worked with Joško Rusjan on the handful of versions of Rusjan's airplanes (now Merčep – Rusjan's), and essentially improved the controls for the pitch (elevators
Elevator (aircraft)
Elevators are flight control surfaces, usually at the rear of an aircraft, which control the aircraft's orientation by changing the pitch of the aircraft, and so also the angle of attack of the wing. In simplified terms, they make the aircraft nose-up or nose-down...
) and roll (ailerons).
Second aviation competition
On one of those airplanes, Novak on the 20 and 21 1911, won the best degree on the Second aviation competition in Budapest. He took to flying over Zagreb, OsijekOsijek
Osijek is the fourth largest city in Croatia with a population of 83,496 in 2011. It is the largest city and the economic and cultural centre of the eastern Croatian region of Slavonia, as well as the administrative centre of Osijek-Baranja county...
and Budapest. Later, he was awarded the winning award – in 1912 – during an aero-meeting in Graz
Graz
The more recent population figures do not give the whole picture as only people with principal residence status are counted and people with secondary residence status are not. Most of the people with secondary residence status in Graz are students...
, where he crashed. He was abandoned by fame-thirsty boss Merčep, who even left him alone in a hospital. That was the point of no return in their cooperation. After leaving the hospital, Novak worked in the Puch factory. In 1913, he returned to Croatia, and was employed as a motor-mechanic near Križevci.
First World War
At the end of 1914, Novak went to militaryMilitary
A military is an organization authorized by its greater society to use lethal force, usually including use of weapons, in defending its country by combating actual or perceived threats. The military may have additional functions of use to its greater society, such as advancing a political agenda e.g...
service. After a short period of service in the army
Army
An army An army An army (from Latin arma "arms, weapons" via Old French armée, "armed" (feminine), in the broadest sense, is the land-based military of a nation or state. It may also include other branches of the military such as the air force via means of aviation corps...
(infantry) he was transferred to the air force of the Austria-Hungarian kingdom
Austria-Hungary
Austria-Hungary , more formally known as the Kingdoms and Lands Represented in the Imperial Council and the Lands of the Holy Hungarian Crown of Saint Stephen, was a constitutional monarchic union between the crowns of the Austrian Empire and the Kingdom of Hungary in...
. He won the Gold medal for courage and bravery, and then the Argent Medal first class, the title of Fieldpilot and the Cross with wreath. At the beginning of 1916, after he was wounded during an air battle (when after an explosion near the airplane he went deaf in the left ear), he was promoted to the post of flight-teacher in the most important military-pilot school in the Monarchy in the Wiener Neustadt
Wiener Neustadt
-Main sights:* The Late-Romanesque Dom, consecrated in 1279 and cathedral from 1469 to 1785. The choir and transept, in Gothic style, are from the 14th century. In the late 15th century 12 statues of the Apostles were added in the apse, while the bust of Cardinal Melchior Klesl is attributed to...
. He won pilot's degrees for military and civil services. After the end of the First World War he refused to serve in the Austrian army, and returnedto his family
Family
In human context, a family is a group of people affiliated by consanguinity, affinity, or co-residence. In most societies it is the principal institution for the socialization of children...
.
Broken wings
He permanently stopped flying, and he was never again in the air even as a passengerPassenger
A passenger is a term broadly used to describe any person who travels in a vehicle, but bears little or no responsibility for the tasks required for that vehicle to arrive at its destination....
. With his family he moved to Križevci where for a short while he worked in a steam-powered flour-mill, then he returned to Zagreb and wasg employed at the Anatomy institute of the Medicine faculty. In 1923, he was again in Križevci working in the town's electric power plant. In 1927, he founded in Križevci his own transport enterprise, providing a bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
and taxi
Taxicab
A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
service. After 1945, he remained without his auto-park and in 1948 he became director of the city auto-bus enterprise in Križevci. From 1949 to his retirement in 1954, he worked in agricultural engineering, again in Križevci. After 50 years, in 1970, he returned to his home town Zagreb, together with the family. He died in his 86th year of life, on 31 October 1978.
Summary
After the year of 1918, he was systematically passed over in silence as a person who did so much in the history of Croatian aviation. Thanking to the right motivation and intervention of his family and enthusiasts, his peculiar contribution to the life of citizens was awarded by his insertion in the Croatian encyclopedia LZMK (7th volume), and in a short time from now he will be included in the Croatian biographical lexicon. A TV documentary was made and broadcast in 2000 (Dragutin Novak-first Croatian flyer). Near LučkoairportAirport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
there is a street named after him. The city of Križevci honored with a memory-plate on the house in which he had lived and worked, and by naming the neighboring promenade Dragutin Novak. The local aero-club is named after him.