A muddy take-off, a $10 DC-10 and a pilot’s last flight

100 Years of EX-YU Aviation

As we approach the 100th anniversary of civil aviation, EX-YU Aviation News will be publishing a series of articles exploring the key events, milestones and individuals that have helped shape the development of aviation across the former Yugoslavia over the past century.

Written by Veljko Marinković

Take your hats off, gentlemen, we’re taking off!

At last, February 15, 1928, had arrived, the day of the first domestic flight in the history of EX-YU aviation. A reporter for the magazine Naša krila recorded the event at Belgrade Airport in Bežanija as follows.

“Crowds of curious onlookers had gathered around the Potez 29, but at a respectable distance from the ‘bird’, which was eagerly awaiting its first passengers, a group of journalists.

“At around nine o’clock, we entered the comfortable cabin. The propellers began to spin, raising clouds of dust around the aircraft. Sitting beside our pilot, Striževski, was Tadija Sondermajer, director of Aeroput.

“The loud rumble of the engines grew stronger, and the aircraft began to move along the ground. We taxied a little longer than usual, as the muddy terrain slowed us down. Mud splattered in all directions beneath the aircraft’s wheels.

“We are taking off! And then, after a turn, the aircraft disappeared briefly into the clouds, heading towards Zagreb. There we have it! The first domestic air route between Belgrade and Zagreb has been inaugurated”.

Arrival of the first aircraft on the first scheduled domestic flight in Zagreb, 1928

It is interesting to note that the first passengers travelling from the Belgrade side of the Sava towards Bežanija (today’s New Belgrade) crossed the river by boat at 6:30 am and were then driven from the beach to the airport in Bežanija. At the entrance to the airport building, passengers were greeted by rather unsettling posters bearing two messages. One read, “Rest assured, every 50 kilometres there are signposts directing the aircraft”. The other read, “A good pilot can always land on the nearest flat stretch of land”.

Heavy rain and strong winds were forecast for the morning of the most important flight in the history of EX-YU aviation. The gloomy winter weather meant that the first take-off was never captured in photographs. The aircraft set off along the Sava River valley, using the river as its most reliable guide.

The reporter for Politika continues with his own observations.

“Our Potez 29, an air limousine, is preparing to take off. It is eight metres long and four metres high, dark blue on the outside and beige inside, with five very stable armchairs. By the entrance to the lavatory is a washstand with a mirror, a basin and washing powder, a bottle of water, a towel and cologne.

“The journalists travelling as passengers have already been photographed, but alas, Striževski cannot start the engine. The mechanics help from outside by turning the propeller, but the stubborn aeroplane remains silent… The first flight brings the first delay, ‘for technical reasons’”.

Passengers embarking on the first Zagreb - Belgrade flight, 1928

“A second Potez is pulled out of the hangar (Aeroput had only these two aircraft at the time), and the packages, pilot’s chart and seats are transferred. At precisely 9:05 am, rather than at 8 am as originally scheduled, the engine of the second aircraft responds obediently to Striževski’s first attempt, and the entire hangar echoes with its sputtering roar”.

After a two-hour flight and several circuits over central Zagreb, where the two slender spires of Zagreb Cathedral stand out against the skyline, the aircraft’s wheels touched the ground. A formal but warm welcome had been arranged in Zagreb. The weather was better there, making photography possible. After a short rest, the pilots set off on the return flight, carrying a group of Zagreb journalists.

The flights continued daily. Records show that the first female passenger in the history of domestic aviation in Yugoslavia was the charming Miss Gubec, who flew from Zagreb to Belgrade on February 21. She received a warm welcome in Belgrade from representatives of Aeroput and the press.

Welcome ceremony at Zagreb, 1928

Two weeks after the historic flight, the first traffic report was issued. During the first fifteen days, most seats on the aircraft were occupied each day, and demand was so high that passengers were asking for additional tickets.

In this brief overview of the early days of our civil aviation, it is worth recording the first impressions of passengers as well.

“You can move about even while the aircraft is in flight, without stumbling or falling. The aeroplane glides smoothly in a straight line from the moment it reaches its cruising altitude.

“But when the aircraft reaches an altitude of 500 metres, you, as a first-time flyer, feel a slight cramp in your stomach. It is airsickness, much like seasickness.

“However, if you grit your teeth and tense the muscles in your arms and legs, you will feel the sickness pass. Put a little ether under your nose, perhaps drink a glass of water, and settle comfortably into your armchair.

“Below you, the ploughed fields glide past. You glide above them like a butterfly. You are no longer a human being, but an angel. You begin to imagine things far more eternal and far more authoritative”.

Aeroput was officially founded on June 17, 1927. It was established at a time when interest in aviation had grown enormously thanks to the remarkable achievement of pilots Tadija Sondermajer and Leonid Bajdak, who flew from Paris to Bombay and returned triumphantly to Belgrade.

Passengers and crew on JAT's B727, marking the 50th anniversary of the Belgrade - Zagreb route, 1978

With the outbreak of the Second World War, flights between Belgrade and Zagreb were suspended. JAT resumed flights on the route in April 1947 and continued operating them until August 1991. After 23 years, Air Serbia re-established the air link between Belgrade and Zagreb in December 2014. The flight was operated by an Airbus A319 named after Serbian tennis player Novak Djoković.

09:10 to Yuma - The delivery of JAT’s first Jumbo

After 18 months in McDonnell Douglas’s production halls and a slight delay caused by an employees’ strike, the first Jumbo in JAT’s fleet was finally ready for delivery. The DC-10-30, registered as YU-AMA, was JAT’s first wide-body aircraft and marked a new chapter in the airline’s history.

Following a test flight, a certification flight and a zone flight by JAT pilots, YU-AMA was ready for its fourth flight, the delivery flight. Its destination was Yuma, Arizona.

Official handover ceremony of JAT’s first wide-body aircraft, 1978

Yuma was where the aircraft would officially be sold to JAT. The reason was purely financial. At the time, California imposed a 6% tax, while Arizona’s rate was just 3%. McDonnell Douglas therefore conducted its transactions in Arizona, allowing the purchase to be completed under more favourable tax conditions.

And so, on December 10, 1978, at 09:10, YU-AMA took off for Yuma to complete the formalities of its acquisition. All 282 seats in the cabin were still protected by plastic covers when the powerful engines roared to life. The pilots shared their impressions with journalists from Yugoslav newsrooms, offering a glimpse into the capabilities of JAT’s newest aircraft. Among the details that stood out was the DC-10’s impressive fuel capacity. It could carry enough fuel, they noted, to fly all the domestic routes JAT operated across Yugoslavia at the time without stopping.

JAT's first DC-10, YU-AMA, during production » YU-AMA takes off on its maiden flight on September 16, 1978, lasting 5 hours and 35 minutes, 1978

At 11:20 local time, McDonnell Douglas Corporation officially transferred ownership of the DC-10-30, bearing LN 259/MSM 46981 and registration YU-AMA, to Jugoslovenski Aerotransport (JAT), headquartered on Birčaninova Street in Belgrade, for the sum of $10. Yes, ten dollars. The agreed purchase price and terms of the sale were kept confidential. The aircraft’s value at the time was estimated at around $30 million, with approximately 25% of the purchase price reportedly paid through the export of Yugoslav goods to the US market.

This also helps explain why JAT ultimately abandoned its initial plan to purchase the competing Boeing 747SP. According to Terry Waddington’s book McDonnell Douglas DC-10, an article in Aviation Week & Space Technology announced in June 1977 that JAT intended to order Boeing 747SPs, to the consternation of McDonnell Douglas salesmen who had campaigned vigorously. John Wallace, famous for the “hams for DC-9s” deal with the Yugoslavs, and R.E.G. Davies, manager of market research, quickly headed for Belgrade to do some serious legwork. Their efforts were successful and, on July 18, JAT signed a contract for two DC-10-30s.

After the purchase was formally completed, the captain accepted the aircraft’s key in a symbolic handover. Shortly afterwards, the JAT crew took off from Yuma and flew back to Long Beach. The following day, December 11, 1978, the same flight crew, captains Slobodan Tanasković and Živko Jerinić and flight engineer Dušan Mijatović, received clearance for take-off with eight cabin crew members on board. The captain applied full thrust, and the DC-10 lifted off, bound for Belgrade. A joke from the cockpit lightened the moment. They should keep an eye on fuel consumption now that JAT was paying for it.

JAT's second DC-10 YU-AMB test flight, before delivery and during production (the second aircraft in line, behind the Swissair DC-10), 1979

On that delivery flight, the JAT crew set a record for the longest nonstop flight by the type. The first “Jumbo” bearing a YU registration, the DC-10 YU-AMA, completed a nonstop flight of 11 hours and 22 minutes before touching down at Belgrade Airport. At the welcoming ceremony, the aircraft was named after the great scientist Nikola Tesla. The ceremony was hosted by Jovan Pejnović, the top student at the “Kata Pejnović” elementary school in Smiljan, Tesla’s birthplace. In honour of the scientist, spring water from Smiljan was served instead of champagne. A second aircraft, YU-AMB, was delivered in 1979 following the same procedure. Captains Bojan Bogataj and Miloje Cicvarić were in command, and the aircraft was named Edvard Rusjan, after the Slovenian aviation pioneer. His brother, Karlo, was the godfather.

JAT ad for new aircraft in fleet, 1979

Between 1978 and 2005, JAT operated a total of eight McDonnell Douglas DC-10 aircraft, with up to five in service at the same time. Two were purchased new, YU-AMA (72,436 total flying hours) and YU-AMB (75,691 total flying hours). They were followed by YU-AMC and YU-AMD, which were dry-leased. Additional aircraft were leased from other airlines to meet seasonal demand. These included TU-TAL, OO-SLA (nicknamed Slavica), OO-LHA and N107WA.

In 1990, JAT’s DC-10 fleet set a remarkable European record for daily aircraft utilisation, with four aircraft averaging 13 hours and 22 minutes in the air each day. The final DC-10-30, YU-AMB, named Edvard Rusjan and later City of Belgrade, was withdrawn from service on June 24, 2005, bringing an end to an important chapter in EX-YU aviation history.

Branivoj Brane Majcen, famous JAT and Adria pilot

It was a cloudy, rainy spring day in 1977. At 10 am, an Inex-Adria Aviopromet DC-9 took to the skies on a route from Belgrade to Titograd via Sarajevo, then on to Ljubljana via Sarajevo before returning to Belgrade, again via Sarajevo.

This was a new charter service operated by the company on Tuesdays and Thursdays. What made this flight different was that Captain Branivoj Brane Majcen was at the controls for the last time in his long flying career. He was a doyen of aviation and one of the best-known aces of EX-YU aviation.

Captain Brane Majcen after the last flight of his career, Ljubljana Airport, 1977

By the time he made his final landing at Ljubljana’s Brnik Airport, Captain Majcen was one of Yugoslavia’s aviation record-holders, having accumulated 19,652 hours in the air and flown the equivalent of 177 times around the Earth. Few pilots had led as exciting and eventful a life as Majcen, who was born in Celje in 1917 and was now sixty. At the ceremonial reception held in front of the aircraft named Ljubljana, Captain Majcen was welcomed by practically all the employees of Slovenia’s Adria Airways.

Captain Majcen began his flying career as a glider pilot and later became a military aviator, taking part in combat operations during the Second World War. His instructor at the military aviation school was Milisav Semiz, who would later become one of JAT’s finest pilots. His wartime service took him as far as Benghazi, Libya. From there, as a trained Hurricane pilot, he took part in the liberation of Yugoslavia in 1944.

He remained in uniform until 1948, when, like most JAT pilots, he began flying the routes of the newly established national airline. He spent 14 years with JAT, flying in challenging conditions and helping lay the foundations of civil aviation in the former Yugoslavia.

Captain Branislav Majcen (first form the left), F/O Opačić and JAT first stewardess Dragica Pavlović Njanja in front of JAT DC-3 aircraft, 1948

In 1954, he served alongside pilots Semiz and Opačić on a Convair 340 during Tito’s visit to Burma. He also served as a crew member aboard a DC-6B during Tito’s visit to India, Indonesia, Burma, Syria and Ethiopia.

One of the most significant moments in Captain Majcen’s career was the successful landing of a burning DC-3 without injury to any passengers. The captain was decorated for this achievement. It was a Friday, June 10, 1951. The DC-3, YU-ABE, was operating a service from Belgrade to Frankfurt via Zagreb and Munich. On the return flight from Frankfurt to Belgrade, before reaching Munich, the cabin suddenly filled with smoke at an altitude of about 1,500 metres. The crew soon discovered that a package in the baggage compartment between the cockpit and the passenger cabin was on fire. In an attempt to extinguish the fire, flight mechanic Vaso Vorkapić tried to throw the burning package out of a cockpit window. As he carried it over Captain Majcen’s head, he accidentally set the captain’s clothing on fire. The passengers did not notice the danger until Captain Majcen entered the cabin, his clothing ablaze, trying to put out the flames. Through extraordinary effort, professionalism and training, the crew managed to avoid power lines and a hill and bring the burning aircraft down in a nearby field. In an interview with the Belgrade-based magazine Ilustrovana Politika, Captain Majcen emphasised that he regarded June 10, 1951, as his second birthday.

The heroic crew of JAT’s DC-3 YU-ABE: Mechanic Vorkapić, Captain Majcen and First Officer Nikolajvčić, 1951

In 1962, Branivoje Majcen co-founded Adria Aviopromet (later known as Adria Airways). Together with fellow pilot Karel Rankel, he helped train Adria’s pilots and later assessed their knowledge and proficiency.

Captain Majcen once again made his mark in the history of civil aviation in the former Yugoslavia as a member of the crew that set a Yugoslav record for flight duration on what was also considered the longest nonstop flight of its time. In June 1963, Karel Rankel, who had captained the first aircraft to land at Brnik Airport, operated Adria’s first transatlantic charter flight aboard a DC-6B. The flight was operated with two flight crews, with Captain Branivoje Majcen in command of the second. The flight from Shannon, Ireland, to Toronto, Canada, lasted 13 hours and 22 minutes.

Captain Branislav Majcen at the end and beginning of his flying career

Over the radio, air traffic controllers bid farewell to Captain Majcen and wished him a long and happy retirement. The crews of all Yugoslav aircraft in the air at the time joined them in bidding him farewell. At exactly 14:08, the DC-9, YU-AHJ, touched down on the runway at Brnik Airport, marking the end of a highly successful flying career. Captain Majcen passed away in Ljubljana in 1995 at the age of 78.

Sources:

· JAT inflight magazine: JAT Review and JAT New Review, JAT News

· There was once a JAT, Simišić Jovo, 2022, 2025

· Politika newspapers and magazines