I was involved in the aviation industry all my life. I was an Airline Captain between 1941 and 1973, when the last airline I was flying for -UNIVERSAL AIRLINES- from Oakland, California folded its wings and went out of business.
My flying activity is contained in 14 Flight Logs and shows a total of 29,864 flying hours.
A few cardinal points in my life trajectory: I was born November 11, 1916 in Crevedia, Ilfov which is 10 miles N.W. of Bucharest, Romania. As a teenager, after finishing the Lyceum, I learn to fly at ARPA Flying School, Bucharest. I obtained the Civil Pilot Licenses.
In 1937 I was drafted, for one year term, for military duty in the Romanian Air Force. There I kept flying at Buzau Military Flying School where I got my "wings" as a Romanian Air Force pilot.
At the end of my compulsory military duty (Nov, 1938), I was hired by ARPA Flying School, Bucharest where I was a Flying Instructor until 1941. The following step towards The Airline Pilot status was reached in 1941 when LARES, the only commercial airline company in Romania, hired me. 1941 was also the year when Romania, as well as United States of America, became involved as combatants in World War II. Consequently the civil transport airplane became also the fastest means of transporting everything necessary for strategic needs. LARES flew its airplanes intermittently for civilian passenger routes as well as taking strategic materials and military couriers to the battlefields and returning with wounded soldiers. LARES lost several airplanes flying those missions.
At this point I have to write about one of my own war experiences: On December 7, 1942 while flying a three engine transport airplane, I was attacked by three enemy fighters. I never considered, until that encounter, that such a heavy airplane could stand the extreme efforts due to maneuvers I was obliged to do in order to shake-off those felons
I succeeded in saving my own and my passenger’s lives but that was due to a real miracle. After landing were counted 114 enemy bullet holes in the airplane.
The war ended in 1945. Romania was among the winners. However, due to its Geographical Position (East Europe), Romania] lost its freedom when the Russians (USSR) kept half of Europe under their military occupation.
The Cold War between the former allies -USA and USSR- forced millions of East Europeans to leave their Countries and to search for freedom elsewhere. My self and my family were part of this mass exodus and we reached Colombia, South America.
I was hired, as Captain Airline Pilot by AVIANCA-Bogota. At that time -mid 20th Century- Avianca was associated with PanAmerican Airways. All important maintenance work , in the Avienca’s airplanes, was done at PanAm Maintenance Center in Brounsville, Texas. I was promoted to the position of Test-Pilot for Avuanca’s airplanes. It was my duty to fly the for repairs at Brounsville and, after to test them and to bring them back to Colombia.
In 1955 myself, my wife Eugenia and our son Marcel obtained The Resident Visas of United States of America. In due time we became USA citizens.
A well rewarded job as Airline Captain kept me busy flying over the African Continent and Middle East areas as well as Europe working for Air Liban, an Air France subsidiary before being hired by Universal Airline from Oakland, Calif.
Besides flying over United States, the dominant activity of Universal Airline was oriented over The Pacific Ocean created by the active military conflict on the former French Colonies of SouthEast Asia.
I co-authored with Mircea Petru a book about Romanian Air Force participation in World War II entitled: "Aviatia Romana in Lupta pe Frontul de Est si Pe Cerul Patriei" (The Romanian Air Force fights on The Eastern Front and Own Skies) printed 1989, by Lumea Libera Ed., New York, USA. The book was amplified and reprinted in 1992 in Bucharest after Romania asserted again its own suzerainty.
I am gratified that my destiny allowed me to live and fly in more than three quarters of The 20th Century. In this time period, after the Wright Brothers "took over the sky" the Aviation Industry witnessed an extraordinary progress whose impulse is felt by the entire world. The men travelled into Space; landed on the Moon and are, at the present time, building Spatial Satellites.
Only God knows the future of this breakthrough.