Heritage
Serbia was among the first countries in the world to form a military air arm. Part of that history was written by women, and many of those names never made it into the textbooks.
Why
The Air Command of the Kingdom of Serbia was established in December 1912, placing Serbia in the small group of countries that formed a military air arm very early. Aircraft were already in use during the Balkan Wars, among the first combat uses of aviation in the history of warfare.
That story is taught. What is taught far less often are the names of the women who took part in it: pilots, parachutists, flight attendants, engineers and technicians. Their photographs more often sit in family albums than in archives.
One of the goals of the association, set out in the Statute, is to collect, process, preserve and promote historical material on the development of Serbian aviation, and to organise ceremonies and observances of significant dates and figures.
Portraits
A few faces from our aviation heritage. This collection will grow, and we invite you to contribute to it.
The first woman pilot · 1928
She earned her pilot licence in 1928 and entered history as the first woman pilot in our country. The photograph was taken beside a biplane, in a leather coat and flying goggles, at a time when the very idea of a woman at the controls made newspaper headlines.
JAT flight attendant · 1950 - 2016
On 26 January 1972, JAT flight 367 broke apart in mid-air over what was then Czechoslovakia. Vesna Vulović, a twenty-two-year-old flight attendant, was the sole survivor of a fall from over 10,000 metres. The Guinness Book of Records entered it as the highest fall survived without a parachute.
From the association archive
A photograph from a television studio, taken during an appearance on a youth programme. Biographical details will be completed in cooperation with the family and the archives.
Timeline
In December, the Kingdom of Serbia forms an aviation unit, among the first in the world.
Aircraft were used for reconnaissance, among the first combat uses of aviation in history.
Danica Tomić earns her pilot licence and becomes the first woman pilot in our country.
Vesna Vulović survives a fall from over 10,000 metres and enters the Guinness Book of Records.
The Center for Women in Aviation of Serbia is founded on 4 August in Belgrade.
What comes next
Aviation history is not only what has already happened. Every generation gets its chance to add a chapter. These are the women learning, flying and working in Serbian aviation today.
Vice-president of the association
As vice-president she coordinates the councils and sections and oversees the mentorship programme, the one meant to shorten the road to a first licence for those just starting out.
If you are at the beginning of a career in aviation, or you know someone who is, write to us. Portraits are published with consent and in the words of the women they portray.
Suggest a portraitAn invitation
We collect photographs, documents, recollections and testimony about women in Serbian aviation. If your family album holds something that belongs to this story, write to us. Material is processed with the consent of its owner and with a clear statement of provenance.
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